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Chapter 10: Problem 3

What information is provided by an electron configuration?

Short Answer

Expert verified
An electron configuration provides us with the arrangement of electrons in an atom, molecule or an ion. It specifies the energy levels, the shape of the orbitals and the number of electrons in those orbitals. Also, it dictates the principles for constructing it and is related to the chemical properties of atoms.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Electron Configuration

An electron configuration is the representation of the arrangement of electrons in an atom, molecule or ion. Every element in the periodic table has a unique electron configuration. The electron configuration specifies the energy levels (n value), shape of the orbitals (s, p, d, f) and the number of electrons in those orbitals. It follows the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which states that no two electrons can have the same four quantum numbers. For example, for Helium (He), the electron configuration is 1s² which means there are two electrons in the 1s sublevel.
02

The Principles for Constructing Electron Configuration

There are few principles or rules to follow when writing an electron configuration: \n1. Aufbau Principle: Electrons occupy the lowest energy level first.\n2. Pauli Exclusion Principle: Each orbital holds maximum two electrons with opposite spins.\n3. Hund's Rule: Electrons will evenly fill degenerate (same energy) orbitals before pairing up.
03

How Electron Configuration Relates to Properties of Atoms

The electron configuration of an atom has a great impact on the properties of that atom - chemical behavior, reactivity, state at room temperature etc. For instance, elements in the same group (vertical column) of the periodic table have the same electron configuration at their outermost shell, indicating they have similar chemical properties.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Is it possible to deduce the electron configuration for an atom from its photoelectron spectrum? If so, describe how. If not, describe why not.

What is the first ionization energy of: a) \(\mathrm{N}\) ? b) Ar?

We will now construct two possibilities for the photoelectron spectrum of \(\mathrm{K}\). a) First, consider the first three shells \((18\) electrons) of \(\mathrm{K}\). For these 18 electrons, estimate the IEs [Hint: compare to Ar.] and indicate their relative intensities. b) If the \(19^{\text {th }}\) electron of \(\mathrm{K}\) is found in the \(n=4\) shell, would the ionization energy be closest to \(0.42,1.4\), or \(2.0 \mathrm{MJ} / \mathrm{mole}\) ? Explain. [Hint: compare to Na and Li.] Show a predicted photoelectron spectrum based on this assumption. c) If the \(19^{\text {th }}\) electron of \(\mathrm{K}\) is found in the third subshell of \(n=3\), would the ionization energy be closest to \(0.42,1.4\), or \(2.0 \mathrm{MJ} / \mathrm{mole}\) ? Explain. [Hint: compare to other cases in which a new subshell appears.] Show a predicted photoelectron spectrum based on this assumption.
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