Unit 4 - Electrons in Atoms

Electron
Configuration
Atomic Model Review

 Bohr – Electrons are found in

orbitals around the nucleus
 De Broglie – Electrons behave
like waves
 Consensus – Electrons are found
in clouds around the nucleus
Quantum Mechanical Model

 There are several energy levels

occupied by electrons
 Energy levels are represented by
a positive number
 As the distance from the nucleus
increases, the number increases
Quantum Model

n=3

n=2

n=1

Nucleus
Quantum Model

 There are several types of orbitals

that can occur in an energy level
 Orbitals have a specific shape and
are represented by a lowercase
letter
Quantum Model

 s-orbital – SPHERICAL – 1 orbital

Quantum Model

 p-orbital – BOWTIE – 3 orbitals

Quantum Model

 d-orbital – CLOVERLEAF – 5
orbitals
Quantum Model

 f-orbital – COMPLICATED!  – 7
orbitals
 Quantum Model

 Different energy levels have

different types of orbitals.
 1st energy level - s orbital
 2nd energy level – s & p orbitals
 3rd energy level – s, p, & d orbitals
 4th energy level – s, p, d, & f orbitals
Quantum Model – Hog Hilton

3p ___ ___ ___

3s ___
2p ___ ___ ___
2s ___
1s ___
I KNOW HOW MANY
ELECTRONS AN ATOM HAS…

BUT HOW DO THE

ELECTRONS FIT INTO THE
ORBITALS??
General Rules

 Pauli Exclusion Principle

 Each orbital can hold TWO
electrons with opposite spins.
General Rules

 Aufbau Principle
 Electrons fill the
lowest energy
orbitals first.
 “Lazy Tenant
Rule”
Aufbau Principle
General Rules
 Hund’s Rule
 Within a sublevel, place one e- per
orbital before pairing them.
 “Empty Bus Seat Rule”

WRONG RIGHT
Notation

 Orbital Diagram

O
8e- 1s 2s 2p
 Electron Configuration

1s 2s 2p
2 2 4
Practice…

 Helium (He)  Nitrogen (N)

 Carbon (C)  Aluminum (Al)
 Sodium (Na)  Calcium (Ca)
 Phosphorus (P)  Argon (Ar)
Notation

 There’s an easier way to figure

out electron configurations
 We can use our handy-dandy,
trusty periodic table
Periodic Patterns

s
1
p
2
3
d
4
5
6
7
6
f 7
© 1998 by Harcourt Brace & Company
C. Periodic Patterns

 Example - Hydrogen

1st column
1s 1 of s-block

1st Period s-block

 Periodic Table Patterns
 Period # (Row #) = Energy Level
 Subtract 1 for d
 Subtract 2 for f
Use the periodic table…

 Helium (He)  Iron (Fe)

 Carbon (C)  Zirconium (Zr)
 Sodium (Na)  Calcium (Ca)
 Phosphorus (P)  Iodine (I)
Notation – A Shorter Way!

 Noble gas – column on the far right

of the periodic table
 Last energy level is full of electrons
 Like a full floor of the Hog Hilton
 Examples
 He – 1s2
 Ar – 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6
Notation

 We can abbreviate the full energy

levels by using noble gases
 Example - Sulfur
Notation

 Longhand Configuration

S 16e 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p
- 2 2 6 2 4

 Shorthand Configuration

S 16e -
[Ne] 3s 3p 2 4
Shorthand Notation

 Example - Germanium

[Ar] 4s 3d 4p 2 10 2
Shorthand Notation

 Sulfur (S)
 Tin (Sn)
 Barium (Ba)
 Silver (Ag)
Valence Electrons

 The electrons found in the

outermost shell or level

S 16e 1s 2s 2p 3s2 3p4

- 2 2 6

Core Electrons Valence Electrons

 Periodic Table Patterns
 Group # (Column #) = Total # of
valence electrons
 True for s & p block
 d & f blocks are weird… 
Lewis Dot Diagrams

 Represents the number and

placement of valence electrons in
an atom
 Lewis Dot Diagrams

 Remember your electron rules

 Be single before you double!
 Electrons want to be far apart!
 Since we’re only looking at the s &
p blocks, the total number will be 8
or less
Lewis Dot Diagrams

 Example – OXYGEN
 How many valence electrons?
 Write the element symbol
 Fill in the dots
Stability
 Full energy level
 Full orbital (s, d, f)
 Half-full orbital (p, d, f)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Stability

 Electron Configuration Exceptions

 Copper
EXPECT: [Ar] 4s2 3d9
ACTUALLY: [Ar] 4s1 3d10

 Copper gains stability with a full

d-orbital.
Stability

 Electron Configuration Exceptions

 Chromium
EXPECT: [Ar] 4s2 3d4
ACTUALLY: [Ar] 4s1 3d5

 Chromium gains stability with a half-full

d-orbital.
Stability – Ion Formation
 Ion = charged atom; not neutral
 Atoms gain or lose electrons to become more
stable
 More stable = noble gas configuration
Ground State

 Energy level that an electron normally

occupies
 State of lowest energy for an electron
 Hogs are lazy & don’t like to climb
stairs
 Ground State

 When an electron temporarily occupies

an energy level GREATER than its
ground state, it is in an EXCITED state
 Excitement occurs when an electron
absorbs a PHOTON (light emitting
particle)
 So when an electron RETURNS to its
ground state, it will emit a PHOTON
Ground State  Excited State
Excited State  Ground State
Here’s the cool part!

 The color of the emitted light depends

on the amount of energy in the
photon which depends on the
wavelength
 Flame Test

 Can be used to identify unknown metals

Fume Hood