Electronic Configuration

of the atom

SUBMITTED BY: HODAN ABDUKADIR ABDI

SUBMITTED TO: PROF.ABDULAHI SHEIKH ABDI
DEPARTMENT: MIDWIFERY

24-JAN-2024
 • Electron configuration:

Electron configuration refers to the arrangement of electrons in an atom or ion within its
energy levels or atomic orbitals. It describes how the electrons occupy different energy levels
and sublevels around the nucleus.

• Principles and Theories:

1. Aufbau's principle: This principle states that electrons fill the lowest energy levels and
orbitals first before moving to higher energy levels. It follows the order of filling based on the
increasing energy of the orbitals.

2. Hund's rule: Hund's rule states that when electrons occupy orbitals of equal energy
(degenerate orbitals), they will first fill each orbital singly with parallel spins before pairing up.
This maximizes the electron spin alignment and stabilizes the atom.

3. Pauli's exclusion principle: Pauli's exclusion principle states that no two electrons in an atom
can have the same set of four quantum numbers. Specifically, it means that each electron in an
atom must have a unique combination of its principal quantum number (n), azimuthal quantum
number (l), magnetic quantum number (ml), and spin quantum number (ms).

4. Bohr theory: The Bohr theory is an early atomic model proposed by Niels Bohr. It suggests
that electrons orbit the nucleus in specific energy levels or shells. Electrons can transition
between these energy levels by absorbing or emitting specific amounts of energy.

5. Dalton theory: The Dalton theory, also known as Dalton's atomic theory, proposed by John
Dalton, states that elements are made up of indivisible particles called atoms. It also suggests
that atoms combine in fixed ratios to form compounds.

• Quantum numbers:

1. Principal Quantum Number (n)

- Symbol: n

- Permitted Values: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc (positive integers)

- Describes the electron shell or energy level of the electron. The value of n determines the
distance of the electron from the nucleus.

2. Azimuthal Quantum Number (l)

- Symbol: l

- Permitted Values: 0, 1, 2, 3, etc up to n-1

- Represents the subshell type (s, p, d, f etc). The values of l correspond to 0=s, 1=p, 2=d, 3=f
orbitals.

3. Magnetic Quantum Number (ml)

- Symbol: ml

- Permitted Values: l, l-1, l-2... -l+1, -l

- Specifies the orientation of orbital in space. There are (2l+1) allowable sublevels for a subshell.

4. Spin Quantum Number (ms)

- Symbol: ms

- Permitted Values: +1/2, -1/2

- Indicates the spin of the electron. Can have only two values - either spin up (+1/2) or spin
down (-1/2).

• Ground state and excited state:

The ground state of an atom refers to the lowest energy arrangement of electrons in its
orbitals. In this state, electrons occupy the available orbitals starting from the lowest energy
level.
An excited state occurs when one or more electrons in an atom absorb energy and move to
higher energy levels or orbitals. This can happen when the atom absorbs heat, light, or other
forms of energy. Excited states are temporary, and the electrons eventually return to their
ground state by releasing the absorbed energy.

• N+L rule:

The n+l rule is a guideline used to determine the order of filling orbitals when their energies are
very close. According to this rule, the orbital with the lowest sum of the principal quantum
number (n) and azimuthal quantum number (l) value is filled first.

• Electron configuration:

Electron configuration is a representation of the arrangement of electrons in an atom or ion. It

is written using the following format: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶, where the numbers and letters denote the
energy levels and sublevels, and the superscripts represent the number of electrons in each
sublevel.

• Energy level diagram:

An energy level diagram is a visual representation of the different energy levels and sublevels in
an atom. It illustrates how electrons fill orbitals based on their increasing energy levels.

Relationship between periodic group and electron configuration:

The relationship between the periodic group and electron configuration can be summarized as
follows:

1. Group 1 elements (alkali metals) have one valence electron and electron configurations
ending in "s1."

2. Group 2 elements (alkaline earth metals) have two valence electrons and electron
configurations ending in "s2."

3. Groups 3 to 12 elements (transition metals) have valence electrons in the d orbital, with
various electron configurations.
4. Groups 13 to 18 elements (p-block) have valence electrons in the p orbital, with different
electron configurations.

5. Lanthanides and actinides (f-block) have valence electrons in the f orbital, with specific
electron configurations.

• The similarity between the number of elements in each period and the maximum
number of electrons can be observed in the following way:

1. Period number and maximum number of electrons: The period number (1, 2, 3, etc.)
corresponds to the energy level or shell in which the electrons reside. Each energy level can
accommodate a specific maximum number of electrons based on the quantum mechanical
principles. The maximum number of electrons that can occupy a particular energy level is given
by 2n^2, where 'n' is the period number.

For example:

- Period 1 can accommodate a maximum of 2 electrons (2n^2 = 2 * 1^2 = 2).

- Period 2 can accommodate a maximum of 8 electrons (2n^2 = 2 * 2^2 = 8).

- Period 3 can accommodate a maximum of 18 electrons (2n^2 = 2 * 3^2 = 18).

- Period 4 can accommodate a maximum of 32 electrons (2n^2 = 2 * 4^2 = 32).

2. Number of elements in each period and maximum number of electrons: The number of
elements in each period is directly related to the maximum number of electrons that can
occupy that energy level. Each element in a period fills its atomic orbitals with electrons until
the maximum capacity is reached. Therefore, the number of elements in a period corresponds
to the total number of electrons required to fill that period up to its maximum capacity.

For example:

- Period 1 has 2 elements (hydrogen and helium), corresponding to the maximum 2 electrons
that can occupy the 1s orbital.

- Period 2 has 8 elements (lithium to neon), corresponding to the maximum 8 electrons that can
occupy the 2s and 2p orbitals.

- Period 3 has 8 elements (sodium to argon), corresponding to the maximum 18 electrons that
can occupy the 3s, 3p, and 3d orbitals.

- Period 4 has 18 elements (potassium to krypton), corresponding to the maximum 32 electrons

that can occupy the 4s, 4p, and 4d orbitals.