Electron configuration

The document explains electron configuration, detailing how electrons are arranged in atomic orbitals, specifically focusing on s and p orbitals. It outlines the Aufbau principle for filling orbitals, the use of Aufbau diagrams to represent electron configurations, and the standard notation for writing these configurations. Examples of electron configurations for elements like fluorine, lithium, sodium, and cesium are provided to illustrate the concepts discussed.

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Electron configuration

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ELECTRON CONFIGURATION

As an example, fluorine (F), has an atomic number of 9, meaning that a neutral fluorine atom has 9
electrons. The first 2 electrons are found in the first energy level, and the other 7 are found in the
second energy level.

Atomic Orbitals

Though electrons can be represented simply as circling the nucleus in rings, in reality, electrons move
along paths that are much more complicated. These paths are called atomic orbitals, or subshells.
There are several different orbital shapes—s, p, d, and f—but we will be focusing mainly on s and p
orbitals for now. The first energy level contains only one s orbital, the second energy level contains
one s orbital and three p orbitals, and the third energy level contains one s orbital, three p orbitals,
and five d orbitals. Within each energy level, the s orbital is at a lower energy than the p orbitals.

An orbital diagram helps to determine the electron configuration of an element. An element’s electron
configuration is the arrangement of the electrons in the shells. There are a few guidelines for working
out this configuration:
• Each orbital can hold only two electrons. Electrons that occur together in an orbital are called an
electron pair.
• An electron will always try to enter the orbital with the lowest energy.
• An electron can occupy an orbital on its own, but it would rather occupy a lower-energy orbital
with another electron before occupying a higher-energy orbital. In other words, within one
energy level, electrons will fill an s orbital before starting to fill p orbitals.
• The s subshell can hold 2 electrons.
• The p subshells can hold 6 electrons.

Electron configurations can be used to rationalize chemical properties in both inorganic and organic
chemistry. It is also used to interpret atomic spectra, the method used to measure the energy of light
emitted from elements and compounds.

Atoms Are Built Up by Adding Electrons

Although the nucleus of an atom is very dense, the electrons around it can take on a variety of
positions which can be summarized as an electron configuration. An element’s electron configuration
can be represented using energy level diagrams, or Aufbau diagrams. The Aufbau principle (from the
German Aufbau meaning “building up, construction”) describes a model-building method in which an
atom is “built up” by progressively adding electrons. As electrons are added, they assume the most
stable shells with respect to the nucleus and the electrons already present.

Filling in an Aufbau Diagram

The order in which orbitals are filled is given by the Madelung rule. The rule is based on the total
number of nodes in the atomic orbital, n + ℓ, which is related to the energy. In this context, n
represents the principal quantum number and ℓ represents the azimuthal quantum number. The
values ℓ = 0, 1, 2, 3 correspond to the s, p, d, and f labels, respectively. According to the principle,
electrons fill orbitals starting at the lowest available energy states before filling higher states (e.g., 1s
before 2s).

An Aufbau diagram uses arrows to represent electrons. When there are two electrons in an orbital,
the electrons are called an electron pair. Electron pairs are shown with arrows pointing in opposite
directions. According to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, two electrons in an orbital will not spin the same
way. That is, an Aufbau diagram uses arrows pointing in opposite directions. An arrow pointing up
denotes an electron spinning one way and an arrow pointing downwards denotes an electron
spinning the other way. If the orbital only has one electron, this electron is called an unpaired
electron.

The following steps detail how to draw an Aufbau diagram:

1. Determine the number of electrons that the atom has.
2. Fill the s orbital in the first energy level (the 1s orbital) with the first two electrons.
3. Fill the s orbital in the second energy level (the 2s orbital) with the second two electrons.
4. Put one electron in each of the three p orbitals in the second energy level (the 2p orbitals) and
then if there are still electrons remaining, go back and place a second electron in each of the 2p
orbitals to complete the electron pairs.
5. Continue in this way through each of the successive energy levels until all the electrons have
been drawn.