Electron Configuration

Front

What is electron configuration?

Back

Electron configuration is the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals, indicating the energy levels and sublevels occupied by electrons.

Front

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

Back

The notation [Xe] represents the electron configuration of the noble gas Xenon, which is used as a shorthand to simplify the representation of electron configurations for elements beyond Xenon.

Front

What is the Aufbau Principle?

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 electrons will fill degenerate orbitals (orbitals of the same energy) singly before pairing up in 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, meaning that an orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons with opposite spins.

Front

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

Back

An s orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons.

Front

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

Back

A p orbital can hold a maximum of 6 electrons.

Front

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

Back

A d orbital can hold a maximum of 10 electrons.

Front

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

Back

An f orbital can hold a maximum of 14 electrons.

Front

How do you determine the electron configuration of an element?

Back

To determine the electron configuration of an element, you fill the orbitals according to the Aufbau Principle, Hund's Rule, and the Pauli Exclusion Principle, based on the number of electrons in the element.