CHemistry Honors- Atoms

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What is the Pauli Exclusion Principle?

Back

The Pauli Exclusion Principle states that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers, meaning that an orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons with opposite spins.

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What is Hund's Rule?

Back

Hund's Rule states that electrons will occupy degenerate orbitals singly before pairing up, in order to minimize electron-electron repulsion.

Front

What is the Aufbau Principle?

Back

The Aufbau Principle states that electrons fill atomic orbitals in order of increasing energy levels, starting from the lowest energy level to the highest.

Front

What is the electronic configuration of Vanadium (atomic number 23)?

Back

The electronic configuration of Vanadium in its ground state is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d³ 4s².

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What is an atomic sublevel?

Back

An atomic sublevel is a division of electron shells where electrons reside, characterized by different shapes and energy levels, such as s, p, d, and f.

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What is the significance of unpaired electrons?

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Unpaired electrons are important because they determine the magnetic properties of an atom; atoms with unpaired electrons are typically paramagnetic.

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What is the difference between ground state and excited state?

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The ground state is the lowest energy configuration of an atom, while the excited state occurs when one or more electrons have absorbed energy and moved to a higher energy level.

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What is the maximum number of electrons that can occupy an orbital?

Back

An orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, which must have opposite spins.

Front

What are degenerate orbitals?

Back

Degenerate orbitals are orbitals that have the same energy level, such as the three p orbitals in a given energy level.

Front

How do you determine the order of filling atomic orbitals?

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The order of filling atomic orbitals is determined by the Aufbau Principle, which is often summarized by the diagonal rule.