Electronic Configuration

How electrons are arranged?

• Electrons are arranged in shells around the nucleus.
• The first shell, closest to the nucleus, is the lowest energy
level.
• The further a shell is from the nucleus, the higher the
energy level.
• Each shell can hold only a certain number of electrons.
These are the rules

The distribution of electrons in the atom is written in a

short way as 288. (Or sometimes as 2,8,8 or 2.8.8.)
Electronic Configuration and the periodic table

The electronic configuration of an element is

related to its position on the periodic table.
Electron arrangement is key to understanding and predicting the
properties and characteristic of an element.
Groups represent the number of outer electrons in an atom

Periods represent the number electron shells in an atom.

Practice
Find the group and period of the following elements:

a. 2,4
b. 2,8, 4
c. 2, 8, 18, 7
d. 2, 8, 8, 1
e. 2,8,8
f. 2,8,8,2
Practice
Without seeing the periodic table,
Assign the group and period these elements belong to
a. Na (Z=11)
b. Ca (Z=20)
c. Al (Z=13)
d. C (Z=6)
e. P (Z=15)
f. Se (Z=34)
g. Cl (Z=17)