Electron Configuration

Front

What are valence electrons?

Back

Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell of an atom that are involved in forming chemical bonds.

Front

What does the Aufbau principle state?

Back

The Aufbau principle states that electrons occupy the lowest energy orbitals first before filling higher energy orbitals.

Front

What is Hund's rule?

Back

Hund's rule states that single electrons with the same spin must occupy each equal-energy orbital before additional electrons with opposite spins can occupy the same orbital.

Front

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.

Front

What is the ground-stable electron configuration?

Back

The ground-stable electron configuration is the most stable, lowest-energy arrangement of the electrons in an atom.

Front

Why do electrons tend to assume the lowest energy arrangement?

Back

Electrons in an atom tend to assume the arrangement that gives the atom the lowest energy possible to achieve stability.

Front

What is an orbital?

Back

An orbital is a region in an atom where there is a high probability of finding electrons.

Front

What is the significance of the electron configuration in chemistry?

Back

The electron configuration determines how an atom interacts and bonds with other atoms, influencing its chemical properties.

Front

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

Back

A single orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons with opposite spins.

Front

What is the difference between an atom's ground state and excited state?

Back

The ground state is the lowest energy configuration of an atom, while the excited state has higher energy due to electrons being promoted to higher orbitals.