ELECTRONIC

STRUCTURE OF
ATOMS
Presented By:
Group 6
Jay Ann E. Arellano
Simoun Manada
MHD Hannan Shahul
QUANTUM NUMBERS
 A quantum number is a value that is used when describing the energy levels available
to atoms and molecules. An electron in an atom or ion has four quantum numbers to
describe its state and yield solutions to the Schrödinger wave equation for the
hydrogen atom.

There are four quantum numbers:

 n - principal quantum number: describes the energy level
 ℓ - azimuthal or angular momentum quantum number: describes the subshell
 mℓ or m - magnetic quantum number: describes the orbital of the subshell

 ms or s - spin quantum number: describes the spin

ELECTRON CONFIGURATION
 The electron configuration of an element describes how electrons are distributed
in its atomic orbitals. Electron configurations of atoms follow a standard notation
in which all electron-containing atomic subshells (with the number of electrons
they hold written in superscript) are placed in a sequence.

 For example, the electron configuration

  of sodium is 1s22s22p63s1.
 - However, the standard notation
often yields lengthy electron
configurations (especially for
elements having a relatively large
atomic number). In such cases, an
abbreviated or condensed notation
may be used instead of the standard
notation. In the abbreviated notation,
the sequence of completely filled
subshells that correspond to the
electronic configuration of a noble
gas is replaced with the symbol of
that noble gas in square brackets.
Therefore, the abbreviated electron
configuration of sodium is
[Ne]3s1 (the electron configuration of
neon is 1s22s22p6, which can be
abbreviated to [He]2s22p6).
AUFBAU PRINCIPLE
 The Aufbau principle dictates the manner in which electrons are filled in the atomic
orbitals of an atom in its ground state. It states that electrons are filled into atomic
orbitals in the increasing order of orbital energy level. According to the Aufbau
principle, the available atomic orbitals with the lowest energy levels are occupied
before those with higher energy levels.

 The word ‘Aufbau’ has German roots and can be roughly translated as ‘construct’ or
‘build up’. A diagram illustrating the order in which atomic orbitals are filled is
provided next page. 
 Here, ‘n’ refers to
the principal 
quantum number and ‘l’ is
the azimuthal quantum
number.
It is important to note that
there exist many exceptions
to the Aufbau principle such
as chromium and copper.
These exceptions can
sometimes be explained by
the stability provided by
half-filled or completely
filled subshells.
 PAULI
 The Pauli Exclusion Principle states that, in an atom or EXCLUSION
molecule, no two electrons can have the same four electronic
quantum numbers. As an orbital can contain a maximum of PRINCIPLE
only two electrons, the two electrons must have opposing As you can see, the 1s and 2s
spins. This means if one electron is assigned as subshells for beryllium atoms
a spin up (+1/2) electron, the other electron must be spin- can hold only two electrons and
down (-1/2) electron. when filled, the electrons must
 Electrons in the same orbital have the same first three have opposite spins. Otherwise
quantum numbers, e.g., n=1n=1, l=0l=0, ml=0ml=0 for the they will have the same four
1s subshell. Only two electrons can have these numbers, so quantum numbers, in violation
that their spin moments must be of the Pauli Exclusion Principle.
either ms=−1/2ms=−1/2 or ms=+1/2ms=+1/2. If the 1s orbital
contains only one electron, we have one msms value and the
electron configuration is written as 1s1 (corresponding to
hydrogen). If it is fully occupied, we have two msms values,
and the electron configuration is 1s2 (corresponding to
helium). Visually these two cases can be represented
HUND'S RULE
 Hund's rule states that a larger total spin state of an atom sometimes makes the atom more
stable. This rule is fairly reliable (with occasional failures) for the determination of the state of
a given excited electron configuration. It was discovered in the year 1925 by Friedrich Hund.
According to Hund's rule:
 Each orbital in a sublevel is separately occupied before any orbital is doubly occupied.
 All of the electrons in separately occupied orbitals have an equivalent spin (to maximize total
spin).
Hund's rule is also known as the
Rule of Maximum Multiplicity.
• This rule describes the order in
which electrons are filled in all
the orbitals belonging to a
subshell.
• It states that every orbital in a
given subshell is singly
occupied by electrons before a
second electron is filled in an
orbital.
• In order to maximize the total
spin, the electrons in the orbitals
that only contain one electron all
have the same spin (or the same
values of the spin quantum
number).
DIAMAGNETISM
 Any time two electrons share the same orbital, their spin quantum numbers have to be
different. In other words, one of the electrons has to be “spin-up,” with ms=+12ms=+12, while
the other electron is “spin-down,” with ms=−12ms=−12. This is important when it comes to
determining the total spin in an electron orbital. In order to decide whether electron spins
cancel, add their spin quantum numbers together. Whenever two electrons are paired together
in an orbital, or their total spin is 0, they are called diamagnetic electrons.
 Think of spins as clockwise and counterclockwise. If one spin is clockwise and the other is
counterclockwise, then the two spin directions balance each other out and there is no leftover
rotation. Note what all of this means in terms of electrons sharing an orbital: Since electrons in
the same orbital always have opposite values for their spin quantum numbers (m s), they will
always end up canceling each other out. In other words, there is no leftover spin in an orbital
that contains two electrons.
 Electron spin is very important in determining the magnetic properties of an atom. If all of the
electrons in an atom are paired up and share their orbital with another electron, then the total
spin in each orbital is zero and the atom is diamagnetic. Diamagnetic atoms are not attracted to
a magnetic field, but rather are slightly repelled.
PARA MAGNETISM
 Electrons that are alone in an orbital are called paramagnetic electrons. Remember that if an
electron is alone in an orbital, the orbital has a net spin, because the spin of the lone electron
does not get canceled out. If even one orbital has a net spin, the entire atom will have a net
spin. Therefore, an atom is considered to be paramagnetic when it contains at least one
paramagnetic electron. In other words, an atom could have 10 paired (diamagnetic) electrons,
but as long as it also has one unpaired (paramagnetic) electron, it is still considered a
paramagnetic atom.
 Just as diamagnetic atoms are slightly repelled from a magnetic field, paramagnetic atoms are
slightly attracted to a magnetic field. Paramagnetic properties are due to the realignment of the
electron paths caused by the external magnetic field. Paramagnets do not retain any
magnetization in the absence of an externally applied magnetic field, because thermal motion
randomizes the spin orientations. Stronger magnetic effects are typically only observed when
d- or f-electrons are involved. The size of the magnetic moment on a lanthanide atom can be
quite large, as it can carry up to seven unpaired electrons, in the case of gadolinium(III) (hence
its use in MRI).
ORBITAL DIAGRAMS
 Orbital diagrams are pictorial descriptions of the electrons in an atom. Three rules are useful
in forming orbital diagrams. According to the Auf Bau Principle, each electron occupies the
lowest energy orbital. The Pauli Exclusion Principle says that only two electrons can fit into an
single orbital. Hund s rule states that electrons go into different orbitals in the same sub-level
before doubling up inside orbitals.