Electron Configurations and Orbital Notation

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

Define Hund's Rule.

Back

Hund's Rule states that electrons will fill degenerate orbitals singly before pairing up in the same orbital.

Front

What is the significance of valence electrons?

Back

Valence electrons are the outermost electrons of an atom and are crucial for determining how an atom will bond with others.

Front

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

Back

The notation [Xe] represents the electron configuration of Xenon, which is used as a shorthand to indicate the filled orbitals up to that element.

Front

How many valence electrons does Aluminium have?

Back

Aluminium has 3 valence electrons.

Front

What is the electron configuration of a neutral Nitrogen atom?

Back

The electron configuration of a neutral Nitrogen atom is 1s² 2s² 2p³.

Front

What is the electron configuration for a neutral Gold atom?

Back

The electron configuration for a neutral Gold atom is [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d⁹.

Front

What is the electron configuration of an Aluminium ion (Al³⁺)?

Back

The electron configuration of an Aluminium ion (Al³⁺) is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶.

Front

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

Back

A single orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons.

Front

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

Back

An atom's ground state is its lowest energy configuration, while an excited state has one or more electrons in higher energy orbitals.