Electricity and Magnetism

CHEM 1291
Spring 2011
Dmitry Shalashilin

Electric Charge
Experiments: http://paer.rutgers.edu/pt3/experimentindex.php?topicid=10&cycleid=56
Charge is a fundamental property of matter
Two kinds of electric charges: positive and negative
Objects become charged because of lack or excess of electrons
All charge is quantised!. Any charge Q can be written as a
multiple of the elementary charge e = 1.602 x 10-19 C
Q = n e, where n is an integer
Charge is always conserved

Coulombs Law
Like charges repel, opposites attract
+
-

+
+

Two charges (in Coulombs)

1 Q1Q2
F
2
4 0 R
Permittivity of vacuum
0 =8.85410-12 C2/(N m2)

Distance

Summary:
Coulombs Law
The force between two charges is given by Coulombs Law.
F(r)

Q1Q2
, where 0 is the permittivity of free space
2
40 r

1. The force is proportional the product of the charges Q.

2. The force is inversely proportional to the square of the
distance r of the object.
3. The force is repulsive if the charges have the same sign
and attractive if the charges have opposite signs.

Bohr model of the hydrogen atom (Exercise 3.7)

Electric Field
Q1

Electric field (a force per unit charge)

1 Q1
E1
4 0 R 2

F12 E1Q2

1 Q1Q2
4 0 R 2

Electric field
E2

1 Q2
4 0 R 2

+
F21 E2Q1

Q2
+

1 Q1Q2
4 0 R 2

According to the
Newtons third law
F12=-F21

Electric Field
Field lines indicate the direction of the field
Field lines begin on positive and end on negative charges
The density of field lines indicates intensity of the field

Work and Electric Potential

Coulomb force is associated with potential energy

1 Q1Q2
F ( R)
4 0 R 2

1 Q1Q2
U ( R)
4 0 R

PE is related to work done by Coulomb force when two charges

are brought from infinity to distance R

Q1

Q2

As usual:
R

U ( R) W F ( R)dR

dU ( R )
F ( R)
dR

Work and Electric Potential

Coulomb force is associated with potential energy

1 Q1Q2
F ( R)
4 0 R 2
Indeed

1 Q1Q2
U ( R)
4 0 R

d (1 / R )
d ( R 1 )
1
2

( R ) 2
dR
dR
R

Hence F follows from U

Also U can be obtained by integrating F.

Work and Electric Potential

You can write potential energy of interaction as

U ( R ) Q2V1
Potential of the field created by
the first charge (potential energy
of a unit charge)

Units Volt
1V = 1J / 1C

1 Q1
V1
4 0 R
Potential also often called voltage

Electric Potential and Equipotential Lines

1 Q1
V1
const
4 0 R

Electric field
is a gradient
E = - dV/dt
In addition to field lines electrostatic field can be represented
by equipotential lines

Potential, Potential difference, Voltage

Potential energy per unit charge is called the potential.
The change in potential energy per unit charge is called the
potential difference dV and related to E:

U
V
Q

dV E ( R) dR

units Volt; 1V = 1 J/C voltage

Electric field lines are perpendicular to equipotential lines.
Point in the direction of decreasing potential.
Exercise 6.3
A proton (mp = 1.67 x 10-27 kg) is placed in a uniform electric field
E = 5 N/C and released from rest. After travelling 4 cm, how fast is it moving?

Field Superposition
V= V 1+ V 2+ V 3
E1

Total electric potential

is a sum of those of
E3
+
individual charges

E=E1+E2+E3
E2
q=1

Q2
Total electric field is a
superposition of those of
individual charges

+
Q1

Q3

Force produced on the probe

charge
F=qE

Electric Dipoles
A system of two charges Q of equal magnitude and opposite sign
separated by a distance r is called an electric dipole with dipole
moment d=Q r
-Q

r
-

+Q
+

Some molecules act like an electric dipole, so-called polar

molecules
The centre of the positive charge does not coincide with the centre
of the negative charge
Example: Water
Application: Solvation - attraction of molecules of a solvent with
molecules or ions of a solute.

Electric Dipoles
Field lines, equipotential lines and 3D image
electric potential created by dipole

Electric Dipoles
d=Q r

E2
-

E1

+
R-r/2
R
R+r/2

1
E E1 E2
4 o

Q
r
R
2

1
V V1 V2
4 o

4 o

Q
r
R
2

1
Q

r
r
4 o
R
R
2
2

Electric Dipoles
If R>>r

1
r
R
2

1
r
2 1
R
R

1
r
R
2

1
r
2 1
R
R

Dipole moment d=Qr

1 Qr
1 d
E E1 E2

3
3
2 o R
2 o R
Electric field is inversely proportional to R cube

Electric Dipoles
If

3
R

R>>r

2
R

Electric field is proportional to R-3 and electric potential to R-2

which is different from the field of a single charge

1 Q
E ( R)
4 0 R 2

V ( R)

1 Q
4 0 R

Electric field of a dipole decreases faster than that of individual

charge

Dissolution of NaCl in Water

http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/index/Notes_Chapter_11.pdf

Constant Electric Field

If charge is distributed over parallel plates
the electric field lines are perpendicular to the plates and
the equipotential lines are parallel to the plates.

0
Potential V(x)=Ex ,

E= - dV/dx

Potential difference between two metal plates

V=EL

Electric Current
V
+

Example:
Ionic Solution
(Electrolyte)
+
E L= V
In electrolyte a voltage to the electrodes (metal plates) will create
electric field E=V/L. Field will produce force acting on ions and
ions will start moving producing electric current

Electric Current
Example:
In metals electric
current is due to
mobile electrons

V
+

Pick a cross section and count the number of electrons

(and the charge Q =n e ) passing through it in time t.
Electric current I = Q / t = n e / t

Electric Current
V
+

Electric current is measured in Amperes ( 1A = 1C / 1s)

Ohms law: Electric current is proportional to potential difference
(voltage)

I =V/R

R is called resistance

The units for resistance is Ohm, 1 = 1V/ 1A

Electric Current
The electric current I is the flow of electric charges
through a circuit per time interval : I = Q/t
Electrons in metal (or ions in electrolyte) must be mobile
The current I (SI units: Amperes; 1A = 1C/s) flowing
through a conductor is proportional to the potential
difference V across it.
and described by Ohms Law:

I=V/R.

The constant of proportionality is the resistance R of the

conductor. SI units: Ohm; 1 = 1V/A

Power
In conductors electric field from external source of
voltage produces force on moving charges
The force does work which initially goes into the kinetic
energy of charged particle (electron and ion)
Accelerated charged particles collide with surrounding
molecules (ions in electrolyte collide with solvent
molecules, electrons in metals collide with atoms of
metal lattice) and transfer energy to their thermal motion.
Hence, when electric current passes through a conductor
heat is released.

Power
The power P (i.e. heat per unit time) which dissipated
through a conductor with resistance R is :

P = VI

= VQ / t

or using Ohms Law I = V/R or V = I R

P = V2/R = I2 R
SI unit: Watt

1W = 1 J / 1 s

Magnetism
Moving charges create another type of field which is called
magnetic field B.
Electric current creates magnetic field, which is a combination
of those of individual moving charges.
http://www.walter-fendt.de/ph14e/mfwire.htm
current

Magnetism
current I
R
B magnetic field
Biot-Savart law:

0 I
B
4 R

where 0 the magnetic permeability

Magnetic field is perpendicular to current.

Direction of field given by cork screw rule.
Field B, proportional to current, inversely proportional to distance.
SI unit: Tesla; 1T = 1(N/C)/(m/s)

Magnetism
http://stargazers.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/geospace_images/magnet_in_space/earth_mag_field.gif

Circular currents, coils (solenoids)

and magnets create magnetic field
with the field lines which look
very similar to those of
electric field of an electric dipole

N S

Magnetic Dipole
A magnetic dipole is a closed circulation of an electric
current
Field lines of magnetic field B created by a magnetic
dipole are similar to those of electric field E created by
electric dipole
The magnetic dipole moment is a measure
of the strength of a magnetic source
Example: Single loop of wire with
constant current flowing through it
Or: Electron moving in an orbit
around the nucleus: orbital dipole moment.
Electron also spins around its own axis:
spin dipole moment

Magnetism
Atoms of iron have large magnetic moment.
To make a magnet atoms of iron must be aligned.

Fe

Magnetism
Magnetic field acts on electric currents and moving charges with
the so called Lorentz force.
Lorentz force is proportional to the current I, and Magnetic field
B. Lorentz force is always perpendicular to both I and B
http://www.walter-fendt.de/ph14e/lorentzforce.htm
Lorentz force is what makes electric motors work
http://www.walter-fendt.de/ph14e/electricmotor.htm
Lorentz force acting on a single charge q moving with the speed v
(perpendicular to the field) is expressed as

FL q v B

Mass spectrometry
Magnetic sector instruments

Magnetic field
B

From ion
source

F ma

Centripetal
acceleration
2

Velocity v

v
zvB m
R

Lorentz Force
F=zvB
orthogonal to v

m
R vB
z

Charge z
Mass m

Mass/charge ratio

Mass spectrometry
Time-of-flight instruments
Charge z
Mass m

Electric
potential

+U

Energy of an ion
T=zU is the same
for all ions.
Their velocities differ
mv2/2=zU
v=(2Uz/m)1/2

L
Time of flight
t=L / v =
=L / (2U)1/2 (m/z)1/2
Detector
Mass/charge ratio

Summary
Point charges, Coulombs law, and the electric field
Electric dipoles and solvation
Current and power
Magnetism and magnetic fields
Atomic magnetic dipoles