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3.1 Electronic structure & periodic table

How electrons are arranged?
Electron shells:
Electrons are arranged in shells around the
nucleus.
The fact that electrons occupy shells around
the nucleus is what causes the whole
chemistry.
Electrons shell rules:
1- Electrons always occupy shells (sometimes called energy
levels)
2- The lowest energy level is always filled first – these are the ones
closest to the nucleus.
3- Only certain numbers are allowed in each shell:
1st shell :2 2nd shell :8 3rd shell:8
4- Atoms are much happier when they have full electron shells –
like the Nobel gases in Group 0.
5- In most atoms the outer shell is not full and this makes the atom wants to react to fill
it. "The electron arrangement is written 2, 8, 8."
The electron shells for the first 20 elements
Below are the electron shells for the first 20 elements of the Periodic Table.
The number of electrons increases by 1 each time. (It is the same as the proton number.)
The shells fill according to the rules above.

'Electron arrangement ' and 'Electron

configuration ' are other terms of '
electronic structure'

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Example 1: The Electronic structure of Nitrogen
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3- The periodic table Nitrogen has seven protons, so it must have seven electrons.
4- Follow the 'Electron shell rules’: the first shell can only take 2 electrons and the second
can take maximum of 8 electrons.
5- So, the electronic structure of nitrogen must be (2,5).
Example 2: The Electronic structure of Aragon.
• It's got 18 protons, so it must have 18 electrons.
• The first shell must have 2 electrons, the second shell must have 8 electrons, and the
third shell must have 8 as well. ( 2,8,8).
The elements after calcium
After the 20th element, calcium, the electron shells fill in a more complex order. But you should
be able to answer questions about electron distribution for later

Chemical symbols
 The atoms of each element are
represented by chemical symbols.
 These usually consist of one or two
different letters, but sometimes three
letters are used for newly-discovered
elements.
 The first letter in a chemical symbol is
always an UPPERCASE letter, and the
other letters are always lowercase. So, the
symbol for magnesium is Mg and not mg,
MG or mG.
 Every element has its own chemical symbol. For example, iron is Fe, sulfur is S,
sodium is Na and oxygen is O.

The element of periodic table

• Sodium is made of sodium atoms only, so it is an element.
• An element contains only one kind of atom.
• Around 92 elements have been found in the Earth and atmosphere.
• Scientists have made nearly 26 others in the lab. Many of the ‘artificial’ elements
are very unstable, and last just a few seconds before breaking down into other
elements. (That is why they are not found in nature.)

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The periodic table

All the different elements are arranged in a chart called the periodic table
The elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number
 the horizontal rows are called periods
 the vertical columns are called groups
 elements in the same group are similar to each other

 The main groups are numbered from 1 to 7 going from left to right, and the last
group on the right is group 0.
 The section in the middle of the table is called the Transition Metals. You may
also see all the groups numbered (including the transition metals), this time from
1 to 18.
 All the elements in group 1 are reactive metals, and all the elements in group 0
are unreactive non-metals.
 Hydrogen is a non-metal but it is often put in the middle.
The Noble gases (Group 0)
• The Noble gases are in Group VIII (or Group O) and have
very low melting and boiling points
• They are all monatomic, colourless gases.
• The Group 0 elements all have full outer shells, this means they don't give or gain
electrons.
• This electronic configuration is extremely stable so these elements are unreactive
and are inert
• Electronic configurations of the
Noble gases:
o He 2
o Ne 2, 8
o Ar 2, 8, 8
o Kr 2, 8, 18, 8
o Xe 2, 8, 18, 18, 8

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3.1 Questions
• Learner should be able to describe the atomic structure.
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Tick the boxes to show whether each statement is true or false

Do the following groups’ of elements contain reactive or unreactive elements?

Explain your answers in terms of electron shell.

Chlorine gas an atomic number of 17.

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• learners should be able to locate the ekements position in the periodic table.

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