The Periodic Table!

• 8.3-5: Electron Configurations

• 8.6-8: Periodic Trends [also 9.6]
• Ion configurations and trends are
threaded throughout…

The Periodic Table holds a wealth of information

about the organization and and development of
properties, now we unlock them!

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Electron Configurations

n= 1 2 3

l= 0 0 1 0 1 2

ml = 0 0 -1 0 +1 0 -1 0 +1 -2 -1 0 +1 +2

Pauli Exclusion Principle: Each individual orbital takes 2

electrons only, and no two electrons can have the same
quantum numbers.
ms = Spin quantum number = ±1/2
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 Filling in Electrons
The Rules:
• Aufbau Principle: Electrons fill in electrons by order
of energy, from low → high.
– Not all orbitals are available for all energy (n) levels.
• Pauli Exclusion Principle: Each individual orbital
takes 2 electrons only!
– There is one s orbital = 2 electrons.
– There are three p orbitals = 6 electrons.
– There are five d orbitals = 10 electrons.
– There are seven f orbitals = 14 electrons.
• Hund’s Rule: If there are multiple orbitals at the
same energy, they fill singly first, before electrons
pair.

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Filling in Electrons
n=1 → 1s orbital → 2 electrons
Lower energy rows
n=2 → 2s orbital → 2 electrons
have fewer orbitals
→ 2p orbital → 6 electrons available, therefore
there are fewer
n=3 → 3s orbital → 2 electrons elements there!
→ 3p orbital → 6 electrons
→ 3d orbital → 10 electrons

n=4 → 4s orbital → 2 electrons

→ 4p orbital → 6 electrons Beyond n = 4, all
→ 4d orbital →10 electrons levels have s, p, d
→ 4f orbital → 14 electrons and f orbitals.

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 Filling in Electrons
n=1 → 1s orbital → 2 electrons
Lower energy rows
n=2 → 2s orbital → 2 electrons
have fewer orbitals
→ 2p orbital → 6 electrons available, therefore
there are fewer
n=3 → 3s orbital → 2 electrons elements there!
→ 3p orbital → 6 electrons
→ 3d orbital → 10 electrons

n=4 → 4s orbital → 2 electrons

→ 4p orbital → 6 electrons
Beyond n = 4, all
→ 4d orbital →10 electrons levels have s, p, d
→ 4f orbital → 14 electrons and f orbitals.

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Filling in Electrons
Electrons get filled into orbitals individually:

s: The Pauli
Exclusion
unoccupied orbital with orbital with Principle!
orbital 1 electron 2 electrons

p:
One electron Two electrons Three electrons

Four electrons Five electrons Six electrons

Hund’s Rule: fill orbitals singly first, then start pairing!

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 The Aufbau Principle
• As electrons get added to
elements, the get inserted into
the orbitals in order of energy. 1s
This is not in numerical order!
• The diagram at right shows 2s 2p
the order that electrons fill. To
3s 3p 3d
create the diagram:
– List the orbitals in order. 4s 4p 4d 4f
– Then, draw diagonal lines
downward from right to 5s 5p 5d 5f
left.
6s 6p 6d
– Once you complete a
diagonal, loop back 7s
around.

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Why does this happen? 7

Orbital Energies

Z2
Recall: En = - Rh
n2

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 Summary of Electron-filling Rules

• The Pauli Exclusion Principle

– Electrons are like spinning magnets, and must have
opposite alignment.
– We “imagine” this as one “↑” and one “↓”.
• The Aufbau Principle
– The orbitals get filled from the lowest energy to the highest
energy, based on incomplete shielding.
• Hund’s Rule
– When multiple orbitals are present, each orbital gets filled
singly at first, and pairing begins.
– The single electrons all have the same alignment.

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Writing Electronic Configurations

To determine the electron configuration:
1) Find the number of electrons for the element.
2) Fill the electrons in order of the Aufbau Principle.
3) Use Hund’s Rule and the Pauli Exclusion
Principle for orbital diagrams.
Example: Nitrogen - Element #7 → 7 electrons
Orbital Diagram Electronic Configuration
The number of
electrons within

1s 2s 2p 2p 2p
1s2 2s2 2p2 each set of orbitals

• Each individual orbital gets a “box”. The orbital

The energy,
• Electrons are filled into the boxes or “n” level
until the total is reached.

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 Electron Configurations
Determine the orbital diagrams and electron configurations for the
following elements.

He

Li

Mg

Ti
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Electron Configurations
Determine the orbital diagrams and electron configurations for the
following elements.

He 1s2
1s

Li 1s22s1
1s 2s
6e- C 1s22s22p2
1s 2s 2p 2p 2p

F 1s22s22p5
1s 2s 2p 2p 2p

Mg 1s22s22p63s2
1s 2s 2p 2p 2p 3s
P 1s22s22p63s23p3
1s 2s 2p 2p 2p 3s 3p 3p 3p

Ti
1s 2s 2p 2p 2p 3s 3p 3p 3p 4s 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d

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 Electron Configurations and the Periodic
Table

Electron configurations can be read off of the periodic table

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Electronic Configurations
Use the periodic table to determine the
electronic configurations for the following
elements.

S 16 e- 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4

Ca

Ge

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 Electronic Configuration Shorthand
Consider the electronic for Argon and Calcium:
Ar: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 ← As a noble gas, Argon’s orbitals
are completely filled.

Ca: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2

[Ar] 4s2 ← We can use the “last” noble gas as a
shorthand in electronic configurations!
The “core” The “valence” electrons
electrons

Not only are shorthand configurations easier to

write, but they identify the valence electrons, which
are the electrons that are available for reaction!

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Electronic Configuration Shorthand

Use the shorthand notation to write the electronic
configurations for the following elements. Also, indicate
the number of valence electrons for each.
K

Mn

As [Ar] 4s23d104p3 → 15 or 5 valence electrons

Pd

In

Cs

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 Some Unusual Cases
Consider Cr:
Starting e- config:

Actual:

Consider Ag:
Starting e- config:

Actual:

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Magnetism
1. Give the electron configuration for Fe. (shorthand ok)

2. Can you tell if any of the electrons are paired or unpaired?

3. Draw the orbital box diagram for the valence electrons in Fe.

4. How many unpaired electrons are there in Fe?

Paramagnetism = contains unpaired e-

Diamagnetism = no unpaired e-

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 Electronic Configurations for Ions

Let’s consider calcium: [Ar]4s2

• What is the typical charge on a Calcium
ion?
– Are electrons removed or gained for a
cation?
• How many valence electrons does
calcium have?
What conclusion can you make
from these responses?
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Electronic Configurations for Cations

A cation has fewer electrons than the neutral atom.
• These electrons are removed from the highest “n” level first!
Examples:
Al: [Ne] 3s23p1
Al+3:

Sn: [Kr] 5s24d105p2

Sn+2:
Sn+4:

What do you notice about the resulting cation electron

configurations?

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 Electronic Configurations for Anions
An anion has more electrons than the neutral atom.
• These electrons are added to the atom according to the
Aufbau Principle.
Examples:
P: [Ne] 3s23p3
P-3:

Br: [Ar] 4s23d104p5

Br-1:

What do you notice about the resulting anion electron

configurations? How does this conclusion compare with
the cation configurations?

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Electronic Configurations for Ions

Write the electronic configurations for the following
elements and their ions:
Mg/Mg+2:

Fe/Fe+2/Fe+3:Fe [Ar]4s23d6
Fe+2 [Ar]3d6 Which is more stable,
Fe+3 [Ar]3d5 Fe+2 or Fe+3?
O/O-2:

Mn/Mn+2/Mn+7:

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 Electronic Configuration Summary
• For neutral atoms, the number of electrons =
number of protons = atomic number.
– Electrons are inserted according to the Pauli
Exclusion Principle, the Aufbau Principle and
Hund’s Rule.
– Configurations using the shorthand rely on the
previous noble gas and the valence electrons.
• For cations, electrons are removed from at
atom, typically to reach a noble gas
configuration, or other “stable” point.
• For anions, electrons are added to an atom to
reach a noble gas configuration.

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Periodic Trends
The location of electrons in orbitals, the shapes of these
orbitals, “metastable” configurations and incomplete
shielding all give rise to a set of trends or
generalizations that we can make using the Periodic
Table.

• Atomic and Ionic Radii/Size [8.6]

• Ionization Energy [8.7]
• Electron Affinity [8.8]
• Electronegativity [9.6]

All of these govern how atoms combine and react to

form molecules, and govern how molecules interact with
each other.
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 Atomic/Ionic Radii

How does O2- compare to O?

How does Ca+2 compare to Ca?

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Ionization Energy
The energy required to completely remove an electron
from the valence shell of an atom/ion, in the gas phase.
M + IE → M+ + e-

Why are there

several deviations?

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 Ionization Energies

Z Element First IE (kJ/mol) Second IE (kJ/mol)

3 Li 520 7300
4 Be 899 1757
5 B 801 2430
Write the electronic configurations for Be and B. Why is it easier to
remove an electron from B?

When predicting IE effects, *ALWAYS*

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consider electronic configurations!

Electron Affinities

Energy released when and electron is gained by an

atom or an ion in the gas phase.

M + e- → M- + EA

http://www.chm.davidson.edu/ronutt/che115/ea.gif
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 Electronegativity [Sec. 9.6]

A measure of the tendency of an atom to pull electron

density from another atom to which it is bonded.

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Periodic Trends - Summary

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 Concept

Which of the following has the higher:

A B A B

Electronegativity? H C Electron Affinity? Cl I

Atomic Radius? Cs Rb Ionization Energy? Mg Al

Electron Affinity? O F Atomic Radius? P As

Ionization Energy? O N Electronegativity? N P

Electronegativity? H B

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