Name:MonicaRandolph

Date:10/1/15

ELECTRONORBITALACTIVITY(50PTS)

BackgroundInformation:
Thearrangementofelectronswithintheorbitalsofanatomis
knownastheelectronconfiguration.Themoststablearrangementiscalledthegroundstate
electronconfiguration.Thisistheconfigurationwherealloftheelectronsinanatomresidein
thelowestenergyorbitalspossible.Keepinginmindseveralrulesthattheelectronsmust
obey,weareabletopredicttheelectronconfigurationsofelementsusingtheelectronorbital
diagramsandperiodictable.

ElectronOrbitalDiagram
Thedistributionsoforbitalscanbelaidoutintheelectronorbitaldiagrampicturedtotheleft.
Youreaditfromthebottom(orclosesttothenucleus)tothetopinorderofincreasingenergy.
Thebottomenergylevelislevel1ithasthelowestenergy.Youcanseethatthereis1orbital
foranssubshell.Thereare3orbitalsforapsubshell,5forad,and7foranfsubshell.
Each
orbitalcanhold2electrons
.Therefore,thessubshellcanhold2electronsthepcanhold6
thedcanhold10andthefcanhold14.Seechartbelowforasummary

Subshell

NumberofOrbitals

Shapeoforbital

Maxnumberofelectrons

sphere

1x2=2

dumbbells

3x2=6

cloverleaf

5x2=10

7x2=14

ApartmentAnalogy
Imagineyouarethelandlordofaverystrangeapartmentbuilding.Yourjobistofillthe
apartmentsinthebuildinginthemostefficientwaypossible.Youarerequiredbytheownerof
thebuildingtofilltheroomsinacertainway.Therulesyouhavetofollowareasstrangeasthe
buildingbecausequantummechanicsisnotlikeanythingyoumighthaveexpected.Therulesare
summarizedinthetablebelow.

Inthebuildingthedifferentfloorsarelikethedifferentenergylevels(orshells)inanatom.The
energylevelsarenumberedstartingfromone,justlikethefloorsinanapartment.Eachroom
correspondstooneorbital.Theroomshaveacapacityoftwoelectrons(twopeople)each.In

eachroomonlyamanandawomanmaybepairedtogether.Inthestrangeworldofquantum
mechanicstherearenosamegenderroommates.

ApartmentRules
A FromtheBottomUp
:Roomsmustbefilledfromthegroundfloorup.Filltheoneroom
onthefirstfloorbeforestartingtoputnewtenantsonthesecondfloor.Thenfillthes
roombeforetheprooms.Athigherfloorstheordermightchangeabit.
B SinglesFirst
:theownerofthebuildingwantstohavethetenantsspreadoutasmuchas
possible.Forthatreasonsinglesareplacedinroomsbeforecouples.Ifcouplesmustbe
placedintoaroomthenalloftheotherroomsonthatfloormustalreadyhaveasinglein
them.
C OppositeGenderOnly
:Eachroomhasamaxcapacityoftwo.Whentwopeopleare
placedinaroomtheymustbeofoppositegenders.Nomenmayroomtogetherandno
womenmayroomtogether.Thisisanarbitraryruleonthepartoftheowners:inajust
worldwewouldnthavetofollowit.Butquantummechanicshasnothingtodowith
justice.
Procedure:
Bringapencilandyourperiodtabletoyourworkstation.
Atyourworkstation,thereisanelectronorbitaldiagramandplasticchipsrepresenting
electrons.
Foreachofthefollowingatomsorions,determinethenumberofprotonsandelectrons
containedandrecordthemintheDataTable.
Countoutthenumberofelectronsinplasticchips.
Fillinthecardwiththecorrectnumberofelectronsaccordingtothefollowingthreerules.
Placeplasticchips(electrons)intheenergylevelsfromlowenergytohigherenergy
(startingatlevel1whichisclosesttothenucleus)
Placeonechip(electron)ineachbox(orbital)beforedoublingup
Eachboxhasamaxcapacityoftwo.Whendoublingupwithinabox(orbital),besurethe
onechip(electron)hasitsarrowfacingupwhiletheotherisdown.
Recordhowyourcompletedcardlooks(drawinarrows)ontheelectronorbitaldiagrams.
Alsorecordtheinformationfortheelectronsenergylevel,subshell,andnumberof
electronsinthedatatable.
Converttheinformationfromthetableintotheelectronconfiguration.Electron
configurationsgivetheaddressinformationfortheelectronslocationforthegroundstate
ofanatom.Seebelowforakeytowritingelectronconfigurations.Thefirstone,carbon,
hasbeendoneforyouasanexample.

 Removethechipsandrepeatforthenextatom.

EXAMPLE:

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Carbon

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Beryllium

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

ElectronConfiguration:

2 2 2
1s
2s
2p

2 2
ElectronConfiguration:1s
2s

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Neon

10

10

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

2 2 6
ElectronConfiguration:1s
2s
2p

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Aluminum

13

13

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

3p1
2 2 6 2 1
ElectronConfiguration:1s
2s
2s
3s
3p

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Chlorine

17

17

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

ElectronConfiguration:1s22s22p63s23p5

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Potassium

19

19

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

2 2 6 2 6 1
ElectronConfiguration:1s
2s
2s
3s
3p
4s

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Vandium

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

Atom

#ofprotons

#ofelectrons

Copper

29

29

Energylevel
1,2,3,...

Subshell
s,p,dorf

#ofelectrons

ElectronConfiguration:
2 2 6 2 6 2 3
1s
2s
2p
3s
3p
4s
3d

10

2 2 6 2 6 2 10
ElectronConfiguration:1s
2s
2p
3s
3p
4s
3d

ConcludingQuestions
Electronscanbethoughtofobeyingthreebasicruleswhenitcomestotheirlocationwithinan
atom.Matchthefollowingruleswiththethreefromtheproceduresyoujustusedtocomplete
thelab.

HundsRule
Singleelectronswiththesamespinmustoccupyeachequalenergyorbital
beforeadditionalelectronswithoppositespinscanoccupythesameorbitals.

PauliExclusionPrinciple
Amaximumoftwoelectronsmayoccupyasingleorbital,but
onlyifthe
electronshaveoppositespins.

TheAufbauPrinciple:
Eachelectronoccupiesthelowestenergyorbital

1.

HowdoestheAufbauPrinciplework?
Theaufbauprincipleworkswheneachelectron
occupiesthelowestenergyorbital

2.

WhatisHundsRule?Thatis,howdoyougoaboutfillingupelectronorbitalsaccordingto
thisrule?
TheHundsRuleisthatoneelectronthathasthesamespincanmovearoundeach
energylevelbeforemoreelectronswithadifferentspincanbeinthesameorbital.

3.

ExplainwhatismeantbythePauliExclusionPrinciple.
onlytwoelectronsatthemostcan
occupyasingleorbitalonlyiftheelectronshaveoppositespins

4.

Whatisthemaximumnumberofelectronsthatcanbeinoneorbital(orbox)?
2

5.

Howmanyelectronsareneededtofillthefirstenergylevel?
2

6.

Howmanyelementsarethereinthefirstperiodorrowoftheperiodictable?
2

7.

Howmanyelectronsareneededtofillthesecondenergylevel(2s+2p)?
8

8.

Howmanyelementsarethereinthesecondperiodoftheperiodictable?
8

9.

Howmanyelectronsareneededtofillthethirdenergylevel(3s+3p+3d)?
18

10. Howmanyelementsarethereinthethirdperiodoftheperiodictable?
8

11. Whatelement(s)didyouwritetheconfigurationforthatendedwithanelectron
configurationof3d?
Copper
Whatroworperiodisitin?
3

12. Somethingisunusualaboutthe4sand3dorbitals.Whatdoyounoticeabouttheorderin
whichtheyarefilled?
whatinoticeisthat4scomesbefore3dwhichisunsualbecauseits
notfollowingthepatternitwasonsoonceithits4sthanitdoesto3dthanjumpsbackto4p

13. WhydoyouthinkGroups1and2referredtoasthe
sblock
oftheperiodictable?(lookat
theendingoftheelectronconfigurationsyouwroteforelementsKandBe)
Group1and2arereferredtoassblocksbecausethereinthebeginningoftheperiodictable.

14. WhyareGroups13through18referredtoasthe
pblock
oftheperiodictable?(lookatthe
endingoftheelectronconfigurationsyouwroteforelementsC,Ne,Al,andCl)
Group1318arereferredtoaspblocksbecauseithasthemostelectronegativity

15. WhyareGroups3through12referredtoasthe
dblock
oftheperiodictable?(lookatthe
endingoftheelectronconfigurationsyouwroteforelementVandCu)

16. Themoststableelementshavefulloutersubshells.Nextmoststablearethosewithhalf
filledshells.TakealookattheelectronconfigurationyouwroteforCopper.Coppers
2 2 6 2 6 1 10
actualconfigurationis:1s
2s
2p
3s
3p
4s
3d.Giveonepossiblereasonforthis.

17. LookattheelectronconfigurationforNeon,anoblegas.Whydoyouthinktheyaremore
stablethantheotherelements?