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Cognito - A Level Chemistry 1.3
Cognito - A Level Chemistry 1.3
Chemistry
C Change subject
Electronic Structure and Electronic Configurations
This lesson covers:
Revision Notes 1. The arrangement of electrons in shells, sub-shells, and orbitals
2. The shapes of s and p orbitals
Quiz
3. Orbital hybridisation
Flashcards 4. Different ways to represent electron configuration
5. How to determine electron configurations
Exam-style Qs by Topic 6. Unusual electron configurations in transition metals
1.3 - Electronic Structure a… The capacity of each sub-shell type to hold electrons is detailed in the following table:
p 3 6
3 - Chemical Bonding
d 5 10
4 - States of Matter
f 7 14
5 - Chemical Energetics
The distribution of sub-shells across the first four shells is as follows:
6 - Electrochemistry
Shell Sub-shells Total number of electrons
7 - Equilibria
1 1s 2
3 3s, 3p, 3d 18
9 - The Periodic Table: Chem…
11 - Group 17
17 - Carbonyl Compounds
19 - Nitrogen Compounds
20 - Polymerisation
21 - Organic Synthesis
22 - Analytical Techniques
23 - Chemical Energetics
24 - Electrochemistry
25 - Equilibria
26 - Reaction Kinetics
27 - Group 2
28 - Chemistry of Transition …
29 - An Introduction to A Le…
30 - Hydrocarbons
31 - Halogen Compounds
32 - Hydroxy Compounds
Orbital hybridisation
33 - Carboxylic Acids and De…
Orbital hybridisation is the process of combining atomic orbitals from different subshells to form new, hybrid orbitals. This occurs
when p orbitals are involved in forming covalent bonds.
34 - Nitrogen Compounds
The hybridised orbitals have modified shapes and orientations compared to the original atomic orbitals. This allows for more
35 - Polymerisation efficient overlap and stronger bonds.
36 - Organic Synthesis
The primary types of hybrid orbitals are:
1. sp³ hybrids
37 - Analytical Techniques
2. sp² hybrids
3. sp hybrids
The following table summarises the key characteristics of each type of hybrid orbital:
sp² 1s+2p 33% s, 67% p Three bonds, trigonal planar; remaining p orbital can form additional bond Ethene (C₂H₄)
sp 1s+1p 50% s, 50% p Two bonds, linear; two remaining p orbitals can each form additional bond Ethyne (C₂H₂)
2. Electrons-in-boxes notation
• Orbitals are depicted as boxes, with electrons shown as arrows.
• Oppositely directed arrows represent electrons with opposite spins.
• Electron pairing within orbitals occurs only with opposite spins.
The 4s sub-shell is filled before the 3d sub-shell because the 4s orbital has a lower energy than the 3d orbitals in neutral atoms.
2. Electrons first occupy orbitals of equal energy singly before pairing up.
3. When two electrons occupy the same orbital, they must have opposite spins (up and down) to minimise electron-electron
repulsion.
4. For ions in the s and p blocks, electrons are added to or removed from the highest occupied sub-shell, e.g.:
• The electronic configuration of Mg²⁺ is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶.
• The electronic configuration of Cl⁻ is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶.
Note: Noble gas notation can simplify representations, using square brackets for the electron configuration of the preceding noble
gas.
For example, calcium's configuration (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s²) is abbreviated as [Ar] 4s², where [Ar] represents 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s²
3p⁶.
These exceptions occur because configurations with a half-filled (d⁵) or fully filled (d¹⁰) d sub-shell are energetically more
favourable.
For transition metals forming ions, the loss of electrons happens from the 4s orbital before the 3d orbital.