Science

Grade 9 • Unit 5: Electronic Structure of Matter

LESSON 5.3
Electron Configuration
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Learning Competencies 2

Learning Objectives 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 5
Electron Configuration 5
Writing Electron Configuration of Neutral Atoms 8
Longhand Electron Configuration 8
Noble Gas Electron Configuration 9

Worked Examples 11

Key Points 14

Check Your Understanding 15

Bibliography 17

Answer to Let’s Practice 18

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Grade 9 • Unit 5: Electronic Structure of Matter

Lesson 5.3
Electron Configuration

A stairway in a train station

Introduction
In the quantum mechanical model, electrons are most probably found in subshell orbitals.
However, for an atom to be stable, its electrons must be distributed in a way that will
maximize its stability. This unique arrangement in an atom also allows them to have
characteristic reactivities. But how are electrons distributed in an atom?

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Grade 9 • Unit 5: Electronic Structure of Matter

Learning Competencies
At the end of this lesson, the given enabling or enrichment competencies should
be met by the students.
● Write electron configuration of atoms.
● Draw orbital diagrams to illustrate the electron configuration of the
atom.

Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Assign quantum numbers to electrons in an atom.
● Write the electron configuration of an atom.
● Draw orbital diagrams to represent the electron configuration of the
atom.

Warm-Up

Balloons? Orbitals!

Materials
● 10 pieces elongated and spherical balloons
● 10 pieces rubber bands
Procedure
Secure some balloons and inflate them. Spherical balloons are used for s-orbitals while
elongated balloons are used for p- and d-orbitals. Create models for the following
orbitals and answer the follow-up questions.

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Grade 9 • Unit 5: Electronic Structure of Matter

1. Create models for a 1s orbital and a 2s orbital. Discuss your models in front of the
class.

2. Consider the set of 2p orbitals. As discussed in the previous lesson, three

degenerate orbitals belong to the 2p subshell. Create models for these orbitals.

● Tie them up together to represent the 2p subshell.

● Present your models in front of the class and briefly discuss your answers
to the guide questions.

3. Consider the set of the 3d orbitals. As discussed in the previous lesson, five
degenerate orbitals belong to the 3d subshell. Create models for these orbitals.
● Present your models in front of the class and briefly discuss your answers
to the guide questions.

Guide Questions
1. How many electrons can a 1s-orbital hold?
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2. How many electrons can a 2s-orbital hold?

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3. What is the major difference between the 1s and 2s orbital?

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4. What are the similarities and the differences between the three 2p orbitals?

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5. How many electrons can each p orbital hold? How many electrons can the whole

set of p orbitals hold?

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6. What does the whole set look like? Is this the complete set under the second shell?

How many electrons are there all in all in the second shell?

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7. What are the similarities and differences between the five 3d orbitals?

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8. How many electrons can each d orbital hold? How many electrons can the whole

set of p orbitals hold?

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Learn about It

Essential Question
How are electrons distributed in the atom?

Electron Configuration
Each element in the periodic table are atoms that have their electron configuration. The
electron configuration is simply a description of how electrons are distributed in an atom.
The atomic orbitals organize the electrons inside the atoms in pairs. The order in which the
electrons are arranged depends on the energies of the orbitals. These basic ideas form the
foundations of electron configuration.

The first number in the notation is the principal quantum number. It is followed by the
subshell designation. The number in superscript is the number of electrons in each
subshell.

There are several rules to follow when distributing electrons. These are the Aufbau
principle, Hund’s rule, and Pauli’s exclusion principle.

1. In filling up electrons in atomic orbitals, the Aufbau principle is followed. Atomic

orbitals are filled from the lowest energy to the highest energy as shown in the
diagram below.

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Fig. 1. Orbitals are filled from lowest energy to highest energy.

The order of atomic orbitals in increasing energy is 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s,
4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p and so on.

The 1s orbital has the lowest energy, followed by 2s, and so on as indicated by the
arrows in the diagram. Take note that the s-subshell has 1 orbital, the p-subshells
have 3 orbitals, the d-subshells have 5 orbitals, and the f-subshells have 7 orbitals. It
means that the s orbitals could fill up to a maximum of 2 electrons, for the p orbitals
up to 6 electrons, for the d orbitals up to 10 electrons, and the f orbitals up to 14
electrons.

To identify the orbital with lower energy, you may use the rule wherein
corresponds to the principal quantum number and corresponds to the azimuthal
quantum number. The lower the value of , the lower is the energy of the
orbital. The higher the value of , the higher is the energy of the orbital.

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For example, nitrogen (Z = 7) has 7 electrons. The seven electrons of nitrogen will fill
the 1s orbital first with 2 electrons, followed by the 2s orbital with 2 electrons, and
three 2p orbitals with 3 electrons.

Oxygen (Z = 8) has 8 electrons. The eight electrons of oxygen will fill the 1s orbital
first with 2 electrons, followed by the 2s orbital with 2 electrons, and three 2p
orbitals with 4 electrons.

2. Hund’s rule states that every orbital in the same subshell must be filled singly
before being paired. In other words, all electrons in singly occupied orbitals should
have parallel or the same spins.

An orbital diagram is a graphical way of distributing electrons. An upward spin

represented by an upward arrow corresponds to the counterclockwise spin of an
electron. On the other hand, a clockwise spin is represented as a downward arrow.
The box represents the atomic orbital.

For nitrogen (Z = 7), the 1s and 2s orbitals will be filled. In filling up the 3 orbitals for
2p with 3 electrons, the 3 electrons will be first distributed singly with the same spin
for each orbital. Below is the orbital diagram for nitrogen.

3. Pauli’s exclusion principle states that no two electrons can have the same set of
quantum numbers. Electrons in the same orbital must have opposite spins. In this
case, electrons with opposite spins will have lower repulsion than two electrons with
the same spin. Hence, when a singly occupied orbital is paired, the electron that
should be added must be in the opposite spin.

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For oxygen (Z = 8), the 1s and 2s orbitals will be filled. In filling up the 3 orbitals for
2p with 4 electrons, the 3 electrons will be first distributed singly with the same spin
for each orbital. The remaining electron will be distributed to the first 2p orbital.

Writing Electron Configuration of Neutral Atoms

There are several ways of writing the electron configuration. It could be the longhand
electron configuration or the shorthand electron configuration (also called noble gas
electron configuration).

Longhand Electron Configuration

To write the longhand electron configuration, follow the steps outlined below.

Step 1: Determine the atomic number of the element in the periodic table. For
neutral atoms, the atomic number (Z) is equal to the number of electrons.

Step 2: Fill up the maximum number of electrons per orbital according to the Aufbau
principle.

Did You Know?

There are instances when the order of filling the orbitals is not observed.
These exceptional cases result from the increased stability of orbitals
when they are half-filled or fully filled . These cases are usually encountered
in the transition and inner transition metals.

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An example is Cr (Z = 24):

Predicted electron configuration: 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d4

Observed electron configuration: 1s22s22p63s23p64s13d5

Noble Gas Electron Configuration

A shorthand way of writing electron configuration is also called the noble gas electron
configuration. To write the noble gas electron configuration, the electron configuration of a
noble gas is substituted by writing the element in brackets and writing the additional
orbitals. The additional orbitals beyond the electron configuration of the noble gas are
called the valence orbitals. They are the outermost orbitals in an atom.

To write the noble gas electron configuration, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Determine the atomic number of the element in the periodic table. For
neutral atoms, the atomic number (Z) is equal to the number of electrons.

Step 2: Fill up the maximum number of electrons per orbital according to the Aufbau
principle.

Step 3: Determine the nearest preceding noble gas. Substitute the electron
configuration of the noble gas by writing the element symbol of the noble gas
in brackets.

Step 4: Retain the atomic orbitals that are not part of the electron configuration of
the noble gas.

The periodic table is divided into blocks to determine the configuration of noble gases
easily.

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Fig. 2. The periodic table of elements is divided based on the type of subshells.

Tips
In determining the valence electron configuration, you can use the
periodic table and use the following shortcuts:
● Locate the atom in the periodic table. Identify its block, group, and
period number.
○ Block: Representative elements under groups 1 and 2
belong to the s block while those under groups 13 to 18
belong to the p block. Transition metals under groups 3 to
12 belong to the d block while inner transition metals
(actinides and lanthanides) belong to the f block. This
grouping predicts the type of orbital where the last electron
of an atom will stay.
○ Group: The group number indicates the total number of

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electrons residing in its valence electron.

○ Period: The period number tells you the energy level that
orbital is into. For s and p blocks, the energy level is equal to
the period number. For the d block, the energy level is equal
to the period number minus 1. For the f block, the energy
level is equal to the period number minus 2.

Worked Examples
Example 1
Write the longhand electron configuration of neon. Draw its orbital diagram.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the number of electrons for the given element.
Neon has the atomic number 10. It has 10 electrons.

Step 2: Fill up the maximum number of electrons per orbital according to the Aufbau
principle.
For neon (Z = 10), the 1s, 2s, and 2p orbitals will be fully filled.

Step 3: Identify the preceding noble gas. Substitute the electron configuration of the
noble gas by writing the element symbol of the noble gas in brackets. Draw
the orbital diagram.

Hence, the electronic configuration for neon is 1s2 2s2 2p6.

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Let’s Practice
Write the longhand electron configuration of krypton. Draw its orbital diagram.

Example 2
Write the longhand electron configuration of aluminum. Draw its orbital diagram.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the number of electrons for the given element.
Aluminum has the atomic number 13. It has 13 electrons.

Step 2: Fill up the maximum number of electrons per orbital according to the Aufbau
principle.
For aluminum (Z = 13), the 1s, 2s, 2p, and 3s orbitals will be fully filled, while
among the 3p orbitals one will have a single unpaired electron.

Step 3: Identify the preceding noble gas. Substitute the electron configuration of the
noble gas by writing the element symbol of the noble gas in brackets. Draw
the orbital diagram.

Hence, the electronic configuration for aluminum is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1 or [Ne] 3s2 3p1.

Let’s Practice
Write the longhand and shorthand electron configurations of chlorine and magnesium.
Draw their orbital diagrams.

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Example 3
Write the longhand electron configuration of copper. Draw its orbital diagram.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the number of electrons for the given element.
Copper has the atomic number 29. It has 29 electrons.

Step 2: Fill up the maximum number of electrons per orbital according to the Aufbau
principle.
For copper (Z = 29), it is predicted that the 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, and 4s orbitals will
be fully filled; one 3d orbital will remain singly filled. However, half-filled and
fully-filled orbitals are favored because of their stability. This changes the
configuration such that the 4s orbital becomes half-filled and the 3d orbitals
become fully filled.

Step 3: Identify the preceding noble gas. Substitute the electron configuration of the
noble gas by writing the element symbol of the noble gas in brackets. Draw
the orbital diagram.

Hence, the electronic configuration for copper is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1 3d10 or [Ar] 4s1 3d10.
.

Let’s Practice
Write the longhand and shorthand electron configurations of Cr, Ag, Au, and Mo. Draw
their orbital diagrams.

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Key Points

● Electrons are specifically distributed in the orbitals using rules of electron

configuration.
● The electron configuration follows the spdf notation, where the principal quantum
numbers come into play.
● The electron configuration of a neutral atom follows the principles of Aufbau,
Hund’s, and Pauli’s.
○ The Aufbau principle states that the electrons are filled up from the lowest
energy orbital to the highest energy orbital.
○ Hund’s rule states that degenerate orbitals in a specific subshell are filled
with electrons one at a time first, with all spins parallel to one another.
○ Pauli’s exclusion principle states that no two electrons in the same atom
can have the same set of quantum numbers.
● The electron configuration can be written in other ways aside from the complete,
longhand version. The shorthand notation focuses only on the noble gas core and
the valence orbitals, while the orbital diagram notation focuses on electron
distribution in degenerate orbitals by illustrating the electron spins of the electrons
through arrows.

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Check Your Understanding

A. Electron Configuration Table
Complete the table by indicating what is needed.

Element Shorthand notation Longhand notation

Si

Sn

As

Co

Rb

[Kr] 5 s2

1 s22 s22 p 4

1 s22 s22 p 63 s23 p 64s23 d 8

An element with 20 electrons

An element with Z = 15

A neutral element with 7

protons

An element in period 4, group

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1 s 22 s 22 p 6 3 s2 3 p 6 4s1 3 d 5

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B. Coloring Periodic Table

Color the areas in the periodic table where the following element(s) appear.
1. Color the element(s) that have five unpaired electrons with red.
2. Color the element(s) that have no unpaired electrons with yellow.
3. Color period 3 transition metal(s) that have complete d orbitals but incomplete s
orbitals with blue.
4. Color period 4 transition metal(s) that have incomplete d orbitals but complete s
orbitals with yellow.
5. Color an element whose valence electrons are 3 s2 3 p 4 with blue.

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Bibliography

Chang, Raymond and Kenneth A. Goldsby. 2016. Chemistry. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.

Georgia State University. “Hund’s Rules”. Accessed June 21, 2017.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Atomic/Hund.html.

Silberberg, Martin. 2009. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, 5th edition.
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

University of Oregon. “Pauli Exclusion Principle”. Accessed June 21, 2017.

http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/pauli_exclusion_principle.html.

Whitten, Kenneth W. 2006. General Chemistry. Thomson Brooks/Cole.

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Answer to Let’s Practice

1. Write the longhand electron configuration of krypton. Draw its orbital diagram.
Answer:
Kr: 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p6
Orbital diagram:

2. Write the longhand electron configurations of chlorine and magnesium. Draw their
orbital diagrams.
Answer:
Cl: 1s22s22p63s23p5 or [Ne]3s23p5
Orbital Diagram:

Mg: 1s22s22p63s2 or [Ne]3s2

Orbital Diagram:

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3. Write the longhand and shorthand electron configurations of Cr, Ag, Au, and Mo.
Draw their orbital diagrams.
Answer:
Cr: 1s22s22p63s23p64s13d5 or [Ar]4s13d5
Orbital Diagram:

Ag: 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s14d10 or [Kr] 5s14d10

Orbital Diagram:

Au: 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p66s14f145d10 or [Xe] 6s14f145d10

Orbital Diagram:

Mo: 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s14d5 or [Kr]5s14d5

Orbital Diagram:

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