Differentiate the ground state and excited state electronic configuration of carbon atom.

Understanding an atom's ground state electronic configuration is key to learning about its chemistry and how it bonds with other atoms. For carbon, with an atomic number of 6, this configuration represents the most stable arrangement of its electrons, in which they occupy the lowest available energy levels. In the ground state, carbon's electrons fill the orbitals as follows: the first two electrons fill the 1s orbital (1s²), and the remaining four electrons are distributed between the 2s orbital (2s²) and the 2p orbitals (2p²). The result is a neat configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p², showcasing a complete first shell and a half-filled second shell.

This configuration is essential for understanding carbon's properties and is fundamental in organic chemistry where carbon forms the backbone of a vast array of molecules.

When we talk about the excited state of an atom like carbon, we're referring to a configuration where one or more electrons have absorbed energy and 'jumped' to higher energy levels. This process leaves the atom in a less stable, higher energy state. For carbon, an electron from the 2p orbital can be promoted to the 3s orbital, leading to a configuration represented as 1s² 2s² 2p¹ 3s¹.

This excited electronic configuration is not as stable as the ground state and is usually temporary, with the electron typically falling back to its original lower energy state, releasing energy in the process. Excited states are crucial in phenomena such as photosynthesis, where the absorption of light by chlorophyll leads to an excited state that initiates a chain of energy transformations.

The Aufbau principle is a fundamental concept when determining an atom's electronic configuration. It dictates that electrons fill subatomic orbitals in order of increasing energy, starting with the lowest energy orbital available. According to this principle, which means 'building up' in German, electron configurations are built by adding electrons to an atom iteratively. For example, in the case of carbon, the electron configuration starts at the 1s orbital, continues to the 2s orbital, and lastly fills the 2p orbital.

The principle helps predict the electronic configurations of elements and explains the periodic table's structure. It's important to note that there are exceptions to the Aufbau principle due to subtle electron-electron interactions and energy differences between orbitals not being fixed across different atoms.

The atomic number of an element is a fundamental property that defines the identity of that element. Specifically, it tells us the number of protons present in the nucleus of an atom, which simultaneously determines the number of electrons in a neutral atom. Carbon, for instance, has an atomic number of 6. This means that every carbon atom contains 6 protons and 6 electrons in its neutral state.

The concept of the atomic number is crucial because it organizes the entire periodic table of elements. Elements are listed in order of increasing atomic number, which corresponds to increasing positive charge in the nucleus and dictating the unique chemical properties of each element due to variations in electron configurations.