Visualizing Electron Arrangement

You are the manager of a prestigious new

hotel in downtown Lancaster—the “Hog
Hilton”. It’s just the “snort of the town” and
you want to keep its reputation a cut above
all the other hotels.

Your problem is your clientele. They are

hogs in the truest sense. Your major task is
to fill rooms in your hotel. The funny shape
of your hotel is to accommodate the habits
of the hogs. The penthouse is on the first
floor and the less desirable rooms are on
the top floor.
You must fill up your hotel keeping the following rules in mind:

1. Hogs are lazy! If they don’t have to go upstairs, they

won’t. Put them in rooms starting with the lowest
possible floor.
2. Hogs can’t stand each other except when Rule #1
forces them to put up with each other. They would
rather share a room than go upstairs. If they can, they
will fill 1 hog in each room before they share. Then,
they’ll share.
3. If hogs are in the same room they will face in opposite
directions. Use an up arrow for one direction and a down
arrow for the other hog in the same room.
4. They stink, so you can’t put more than two hogs in each Your hotel can hold 28 hogs.
room. Only two arrows in a box.
EXAMPLE 6th
Floor

You need to book 8 guests 5th

Floor

DROP & 4th

DRAG Floor

3rd
Floor

2nd
Floor

1st
Floor
TRY IT! 6th
Floor

You need to book 4 guests. 5th

Floor

DROP & 4th

DRAG Floor

3rd
Floor

2nd
Floor

1st
Floor
TRY IT! 6th
Floor

You need to book 9 guests. 5th

Floor

DROP & 4th

DRAG Floor

3rd
Floor

2nd
Floor

1st
Floor
TRY IT! 6th
Floor

You need to book 14 guests. 5th

Floor

DROP & 4th

DRAG Floor

3rd
Floor

2nd
Floor

1st
Floor
TRY IT! 6th
Floor

You need to book 24 guests. 5th

Floor

DROP & 4th

DRAG Floor

3rd
Floor

2nd
Floor

1st
Floor
Electrons fill the lowest energy levels first.

Electrons will fill each orbital (or sublevel) singly before pairing up.

Each orbital can only hold 2 electrons. Since electrons have the same
negative charge, when paired they must have opposite spins.

Instead of drawing the

3-dimensional shapes The DIAGONAL 7s
to represent the RULE is a way to 6s 6p 6d
electrons, we use an show the order 5s 5p 5d 5f
abbreviated notation that electrons will 4s 4p 4d 4f
called electron fill so that the
configuration and 3s 3p 3d
lowest energy 2s 2p
orbital notation.
level is filled first. 1s
ELECTRON FILLING RULES

1. Aufbau Principle: Electrons will fill the LOWEST

energy orbital first.
2. Hund’s Rule: Electrons fill a sublevel with a spin
UP first before an opposite spin electron will fill
that orbital orientation.
3. Pauli Exclusion Principle: Orbitals can hold up
to TWO electrons.
4. Pauli Exclusion Principle: Electrons must have
opposite spin.
EXAMPLE 3d
n=3

You need to place 6 4s

electrons in orbitals
n=4

3p
n=3

DROP &
DRAG 3s
n=3

2p
n=2

2s
n=2

1s
n=1
PRACTICE 3d
n=3

Place 15 electrons in 4s
orbitals
n=4

3p
n=3

DROP &
DRAG 3s
n=3

2p
n=2

2s
n=2

1s
n=1
PRACTICE 3d
n=3

Place 3 electrons in 4s
orbitals
n=4

3p
n=3

DROP &
DRAG 3s
n=3

2p
n=2

2s
n=2

1s
n=1
PRACTICE 3d
n=3

Place 20 electrons in 4s
orbitals
n=4

3p
n=3

DROP &
DRAG 3s
n=3

2p
n=2

2s
n=2

1s
n=1
ORBITAL NOTATION uses BOXES to represent orbitals and ARROWS represent
electrons. They are written horizontally rather than vertically in order to save
space. They follow the same rules as Hog Hilton rooms.

ORBITAL NOTATION
1s 2s 2px 2py 2pz

2 2 4 ELECTRON
1s 2s 2p CONFIGURATION
ELECTRON CONFIGURATION
shortens the notation
by using numbers and
letters instead of
boxes and arrows.
EXAMPLE

Show the electron filling of 4 electrons.

TRY IT!

Show the Electron Filling of 7 Electrons

TRY IT!

Show the Electron Filling of 10 Electrons

TRY IT!

Show the Electron Filling of 9 Electrons

TRY IT!

Show the Electron Filling of 3 Electrons

TRY IT!

Show the Electron Filling of 17 Electrons

TRY IT!

Show the Electron Filling of 5 Electrons

TRY IT!

Show the Electron Filling of 23 Electrons

 Electron configurations are the summary of
where the electrons are around a nucleus.

Orbital Total
Shape Electrons 1st Energy Level s

s 2 2nd Energy Level s p

p 6
3rd Energy Level s p d
d 10
4th Energy Level s p d f
f 14
 7s
The DIAGONAL RULE is a way to 6s 6p 6d
show the order that electrons will 5s 5p 5d 5f
fill so that the lowest energy 4s 4p 4d 4f
level is filled first.
3s 3p 3d
2s 2p
1s
Draw the electron configuration for Al

2 2 6 2 1

1 s 2 s 2 p 3 s 3 p
 7s
The DIAGONAL RULE is a way to 6s 6p 6d
show the order that electrons will 5s 5p 5d 5f
fill so that the lowest energy 4s 4p 4d 4f
level is filled first.
3s 3p 3d
2s 2p
1s
Draw the electron configuration for S

2 2 6 2 4

1 s 2 s 2 p 3 s 3 p
 7s
The DIAGONAL RULE is a way to 6s 6p 6d
show the order that electrons will 5s 5p 5d 5f
fill so that the lowest energy 4s 4p 4d 4f
level is filled first.
3s 3p 3d
2s 2p
1s
Draw the electron configuration for Fe

2 2 6 2 6 2

1 s 2 s 2 p 3 s 3 p 4 s

3 d
 7s
The DIAGONAL RULE is a way to 6s 6p 6d
show the order that electrons will 5s 5p 5d 5f
fill so that the lowest energy 4s 4p 4d 4f
level is filled first.
3s 3p 3d
2s 2p
1s
Draw the electron configuration for Br

2 2 6 2 6 2

1 s 2 s 2 p 3 s 3 p 4 s

10 5

3 d 4 p
 7s
The DIAGONAL RULE is a way to 6s 6p 6d
show the order that electrons will 5s 5p 5d 5f
fill so that the lowest energy 4s 4p 4d 4f
level is filled first.
3s 3p 3d
2s 2p
1s
Draw the electron configuration for Ga

2 2 3 2 6 2

1 s 2 s 2 p 3 s 3 p 4 s

10 1

3 d 4 p
 7s
The DIAGONAL RULE is a way to 6s 6p 6d
show the order that electrons will 5s 5p 5d 5f
fill so that the lowest energy 4s 4p 4d 4f
level is filled first.
3s 3p 3d
2s 2p
1s
Draw the electron configuration for Au

2 2 3 2 6 2

1 s 2 s 2 p 3 s 3 p 4 s

10 6 2 10 6 2

3 d 4 p 5 s 4 d 5 p 6 s

14 9

4 f 5 d