Relativistic effects

Term · Chemistry · MLC-T-CHM-010169

Corrections to the electronic structure and properties of atoms and molecules that arise from the theory of special relativity, particularly for heavy elements where electrons move at speeds comparable to the speed of light. These effects alter orbital energies, bond lengths, and reaction pathways. They become increasingly pronounced for elements with higher atomic numbers, such as gold or mercury.

Table 1. Record
Identifier	MLC-T-CHM-010169
Field	Chemistry
Subject	Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry
References	PAC, 1999, 71, 1919. 'Glossary of terms used in theoretical organic chemistry' on page 1960 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199971101919)
See also	Spin-orbit coupling

Record as JSON

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-010169",
  "term": "Relativistic effects",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "Corrections to the electronic structure and properties of atoms and molecules that arise from the theory of special relativity, particularly for heavy elements where electrons move at speeds comparable to the speed of light. These effects alter orbital energies, bond lengths, and reaction pathways. They become increasingly pronounced for elements with higher atomic numbers, such as gold or mercury.",
  "subject": "Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "spin-orbit coupling"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 1999, 71, 1919. 'Glossary of terms used in theoretical organic chemistry' on page 1960 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199971101919)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/relativistic-effects/"
}

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