Diamagnetic

Definition

Diamagnetic substances are materials that create an opposing magnetic field when exposed to an external magnetic field, causing a repulsive effect. These materials have all their electrons paired, leading to no net magnetic moment.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Diamagnetic substances have no unpaired electrons.
2. They exhibit a weak repulsion in the presence of an external magnetic field.
3. In molecular orbital theory, diamagnetism occurs when all molecular orbitals are either completely filled or empty.
4. Examples of diamagnetic substances include bismuth and copper.
5. The diamagnetic property is temperature-independent.

Review Questions

• What causes the repulsive effect observed in diamagnetic substances?
• How does molecular orbital theory explain the behavior of diamagnetic materials?
• Name two examples of diamagnetic substances.

Related terms

Paramagnetic:

Materials with unpaired electrons that are attracted to external magnetic fields.

Ferromagnetic: Materials that can form permanent magnets or are strongly attracted by a magnet due to aligned magnetic moments.

Molecular Orbital Theory: A method for determining molecular structure where electrons are not assigned to individual bonds between atoms but are treated as moving under the influence of nuclei in the whole molecule.