General

Chemistry 1 11
General Chemistry 1 – Grade 11
Quarter 2 – Module 2: Electron Configuration and Magnetic Property of Atoms
First Edition, 2020

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 General
Chemistry 1 11
Quarter 2
Self-Learning Module 2
Electron Configuration and Magnetic
Property of Atoms
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Chemistry 1 Self-Learning Module 2 on Electron Configuration

and Magnetic Property of Atoms

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the Chemistry 1 Self-Learning Module 2 on Electron Configuration

and Magnetic Property of Atoms

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the
 EXPECTATIONS

The module is about the electron configuration of an atom and its magnetic
propery. After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. write the noble gas configuration (core method) of an atom
2. identify the number of valence electrons of an atom
3. determine the magnetic property of the atom based on its electron
configuration

PRETEST

1. An element with an electron configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2 will have which
of the following noble gas configuration ?
a. [Ne] 3s2 3p2 c. [He] 3s2 3p2
b. [Ne] 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2 d. [He] 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2

2. Krypton is one of the noble gases that are found in group 18 of the periodic
apple. Which of the following represents the electron configuration using core
method of this element?
a. [Kr] c. [Ar] 4s2 3d10 4p6
b. [Ar] 4s 4p
2 6 d. [Ne] 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6

3. Iodine has an electron configuration of [Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p5. How many valence
electrons are there in this atom?
a. 2 c. 7
b. 5 d. 10

4. A diamagnetic material is characterized by its repulsion of magnetic field. Which

of the following orbital diagram shows a diamagnetic atom?
a. c.

b. d

5. Which of the following elements is likely to exhibit paramagnetism?

a. zinc c. calcium
b. nickel d. barium
 RECAP
Recall the rules when writing the electron configuration of an atom and drawing its
orbital diagram.

a. Pauli’s Exclusion Principle

b. Aufbau Principle
c. Hund’s Rule

LESSON

CORE METHOD

Writing the electron configuration of an atom can sometimes be a tedious task

especially when the number of electrons is large. Writing the whole configuration can
take time. To solve this problem, there is another way of expressing the electron
configuration in a much shorter way. This is called the Core Method of Electron
Configuration.

To understand this, you must first take note of the configuration of all the noble
gases. These are elements that are found in Group 18 of the periodic table.

To make this more visual, you can place the noble gases in the electron configuration
mnemonics for easier understanding.
Let’s have an example. Write the
electron configuration of 17Cl using the
core method.

Step 1: Write the electron configuration

using the normal method. Use the
mnemonics as your guide.

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p5

Step 2: Analyze the configuration and

look for the configuration of a noble gas.
In this case, the underlined
configuration is the configuration of
10Ne.

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p5

Step 3: Replace the configuration by the symbol of the noble gas enclosed in a
bracket.

[Ne] 3s2 3p5

There is another way to approach this problem.

Step 1: Take note of the number of electrons to be distributed.

In this case, Cl has 17 electrons

Step 2: Look for the noble gas whose atomic number is the closest but should not be
greater than or equal to the number of electrons to be distributed.

Chlorine has 17 electrons, among the noble gases, the noble gas whose atomic
number is closest but is lesser than the number of electrons to be distributed is
Neon. (Argon, with atomic number of 18, though is closer to 17 should not be used
because it exceeds the number of electrons to be distributed)

Step 3: Write the symbol of the noble gas enclosed in a bracket. Then start on adding
electrons based on the mnemonics.

[Ne] 3s2 3p5

VALENCE ELECTRONS

Another thing that you need to understand is the concept of valence electrons.
These are the electrons that are found on the outermost energy level of an atom.
These electrons are important because they give us a deep insight about the chemical
property of an element.
Let’s identify the number of valence electron of 17Cl.

Step 1: From the electron configuration, identify the highest energy level of an atom.
This is denoted by the coefficient of the configuration.

[Ne] 3s2 3p5, from this configuration, the highest coefficient is 3; from 3s2 and
3p5

Step 2: Add the number of electrons in the highest energy level. This is denoted by
the exponent (superscript) in the configuration. This is the number of valence
electron of an atom.

From the configuration [Ne] 3s2 3p5, there are 2 electrons from 3s and 5
electrons from 3p. Therefore, there are 7 valence electrons in chlorine.

MAGNETIC PROPERTY

Another concept is the magnetic property of an element. In this module, we will

focus on paramagnetism and diamagnetism,

Paramagnetism (attracted to magnetic field) refers to the magnetic state of an atom

with one or more unpaired electrons. The unpaired electrons are attracted by a
magnetic field due to the electron’s magnetic dipole moments.

Diamagnetism (repelled by magnetic field), on the other hand, is characterized by

paired electrons. This causes the magnetic fields of the electrons to cancel out; there
is no net magnetic moment, and the atom cannot be attracted into a magnetic field.

To identify whether the atom is paramagnetic or diamagnetic, you need to draw the
orbital diagram of the element and look for unpaired electrons.

Let’s have an example. Identify whether 17Cl is paramagnetic or diamagnetic.

Step 1: Write the electron configuration of the atom

[Ne] 3s2 3p5

Step 2: Draw the orbital diagram of the atom

Step 3: Analyze the orbital diagram of the atom. Look if there is an unpaired electron
in the orbital. If there is, then, the atom is paramagnetic. If all electrons are paired,
then it is considered as diamagnetic.

In this case, you see that there is an unpaired electron in the 3p orbital.
Therefore, 17Cl is a paramagnetic.
 ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1
TRUE or FALSE. Read the statement carefully. Write TRUE if the statement is
correct, FALSE if it is not.

1. Core method uses the configuration of noble gases that are found in the
group 18 of the periodic table.
2. The core method configuration of argon is [Ar].
3. In the configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3, the configuration of Argon can be
found.
4. The number of valence electrons is the total number of electrons that can be
found in an atom.
5. The highest energy level in the configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1 is 3.
6. [He] 2s2 2p2 and [Ne] 3s2 3p2 have the same number of valence electrons.
7. A configuration ending in 3p6 is most likely to be a paramagnetic.
8. Diamagnetism is characterized by the presence of paired electrons in its
atom’s orbital diagram.
9. Magnesium has an electron configuration [Ne] 3s 2. Therefore, Mg is
considered as a diamagnetic.
10. An example of a paramagnetic material is an element with the following
configuration: [Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p6.

ACTIVITY 2
TABLE COMPLETION. Fill in the table by supplying the necessary information.

Electron
Valence Orbital Magnetic
Element Configuration Using
Electrons Diagram Property
Core Method
Aluminum
Zinc
Calcium
Boron
Bromine
 WRAP–UP
Complete the statement:

Electron configuration and the orbital diagram give us a lot of information with
regards to the physical and chemical properties of an atom. Among this information
are
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

VALUING

An atom can either be paramagnetic or diamagnetic in nature. This magnetic

property dictates how an atom reacts to a magnetic field. One will be attracted
towards it (paramagnetic) and the other will be repelled (diamagnetic). At the same
time, in life, a person should now how attract positivity and repel any negative
thoughts specially during this time of pandemic. Can you cite any activities you are
doing to keep a positive mindset during quarantine?

POST TEST

1. Iron has an electron configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d6. Which of the
following is the correct core method configuration of iron?
a. [He] 4s2 3d6 c. [Ar] 4s2 3d6
b. [Ne] 4s2 3d6 d. [Kr] 4s2 3d6
2. An element with an atomic number of 47 will have the following electron
configuration in ground state:
a. [Kr] 5s2 4d9 c. [Kr] 5s2 4d10
b. [Ar] 4s 3d 4p 5s 5d
2 10 6 2 9 d. [Ne] 4s2 3d10 4p6 5s2 5d10
3. How many valence electrons are there in an atom with the following electron
configuration: [Ar] 4s2 3d10 4p3.
a. 2 c. 5
b. 3 d. 10
4. Titanium has the following electron configuration: [Ar] 4s 2 3d2. How would you
classify this element based on its magnetic property?
a. diamagnetic c. ferromagnetic
b. paramagnetic d. ferrimagnetic
5. Which of the following electron configuration is likely to exhibits diamagnetism?
a. [Kr] 5s2 4d5 c. [Kr] 5s2 4d8
b. [Kr] 5s 4d
2 7 d. [Kr] 5s2 4d10
 KEY TO CORRECTION

Pre-Test
1. A 2. C 3. C 4. D 5. B

Recap

Pauli’s Exclusion Principle states that an atomic orbital can contain no more
than 2 electrons with opposite spin.

Aufbau Principle states that the orbital in the lowest energy should be filled
first before filling up an orbital in a higher energy level.

Hund’s Rule state that the most stable arrangement of electrons is the one with
the most number of unpaired electrons

Activity 1
1. T 2. F 3. F 4. F 5. T
6. T 7. F 8. T 9. T 10. T

Activity 2

Post Test
1. C 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. D
 REFERENCES
Ilao, Luciano V., Lontoc, Betty M., and Paderna Gayon, Edwehna Elinore S. General
Chemistry 1. Manila City, Rex Bookstore Inc., 2016

Peshin, Akash. “How to Find the Number of Valence Electrons in an Element?”

Science ABC. Accessed August 5, 2020 https://www.scienceabc.com/pure-
sciences/how-to-find-the-number-of-valence-electrons-in-an-element.html

Quiming, Noel and Sacramento, Jireh Joy. General Chemistry 1. Quezon City, Vibal
Group Inc., 2016

Spinney, Richard and Clark, Jim. “Magnetic Properties.” LibreTexts. Accessed

August 5, 2020
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Tex
tbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Physic
al_Properties_of_Matter/Atomic_and_Molecular_Properties/Magnetic_Properties

Wyman, Elizabeth. “Electron configuration: Orbital, Noble Gas and Electron

Configuration Notation.” Study.com. Accessed July 15, 2020
https://study.com/academy/lesson/electron-configuration-orbital-noble-gas-
electron-configuration-notation.html