What is the difference between electron cloud and electron dot diagram?

Answer 1

The nucleus is the centre of the atom made up of protons and neutrons with an overall positive charge. This is where the majority of the atom's mass is.

The electron cloud is the energy levels filled with electrons orbiting the nucleus, there is hardly any mass and it has an overall negative charge equal to that of the nucleus it is orbiting if it is part of a neutral atom.

Answer 2

Actually the terms orbitals and shells are NOT interchangeable. The electron shell refers to the distance away from the nucleus, with each addition of a shell adding more possibilities for electron placement. The orbitals are actually within each shell. This is proven through the fact that the shells and orbital capacities are not the same. For example, the first shell can hold 2 electrons, the second shell can hold 8, and the third shell can hold 18. The first orbital, s, can hold 2 electrons. The second orbital, p, can hold 6 electrons. The third oribital, d, can hold 10 electrons; therefore not being the same as the shells.

Answer 3

An electron cloud is a visual representation of the probability of finding an electron in a specific region around an atom's nucleus, based on quantum mechanics. An electron dot diagram, on the other hand, is a simplified way of representing the valence electrons of an atom or ion, using dots to represent the electrons in the outer energy level.

Answer 4

The electron dot diagram is a way of working out the bonding of a molecule. The electron cloud is a description of the way that electrons surround the nucleus.