Electron Configurations

Front

What is an electron configuration?

Back

An electron configuration is the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals, indicating how many electrons occupy each energy level and sublevel.

Front

How do you determine the number of valence electrons from an electron configuration?

Back

The number of valence electrons is determined by the electrons in the outermost energy level (highest principal quantum number).

Front

What is the electron configuration for a neutral oxygen atom?

Back

1s² 2s² 2p⁴.

Front

What is the electron configuration for an oxygen ion (O²⁻)?

Back

1s² 2s² 2p⁶.

Front

What does the notation [Xe] represent in an electron configuration?

Back

The notation [Xe] represents the electron configuration of the noble gas Xenon, indicating that the electron configuration of the element continues from that point.

Front

What is the highest occupied energy level in the electron configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶?

Back

The highest occupied energy level is 3.

Front

How many total electrons are in the electron configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶?

Back

There are 18 total electrons.

Front

What is the significance of the superscripts in electron configurations?

Back

The superscripts indicate the number of electrons in each sublevel.

Front

What is the electron configuration for Gold (Au)?

Back

[Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d⁹.

Front

What is the electron configuration for a neutral atom of Neon (Ne)?

Back

1s² 2s² 2p⁶.