Electron Configuration Notes

1. The quantum model of the atom improved on Bohr’s model because it explained the arrangement of the
electrons in atoms in a way that was consistent with an atom’s atomic emission spectrum. (The emission
spectrum tells us the wavelengths of the photons emitted when the electrons go from an excited state to
their ground state.
2. The arrangement (location) of electrons in an atom is known as the atom’s electron configuration.
3. Electron configuration helps us understand and predict the properties of elements; and it helps us understand
the way in which elements will combine to form compounds.
4. The 3 Rules of Electron Configuration
These rules explain how electrons occupy the available orbitals in the electron cloud.
Think of the electrons occupying the electron cloud as if they were tourists getting rooms at the Electron Hotel.
The energy sublevels are the floors of the hotel. The orbitals are hotel rooms.
a. Aufbau Principle – An electron occupies the lowest-energy orbital that can receive it.
Electrons are lazy. They want a room that’s as close to the lobby (nucleus) as possible.
b. Pauli Exclusion Principle – No two electrons in the same atom can have the same set of four quantum
numbers.
No two electrons can sleep in the same bed.
c. Hund’s Rule – Orbitals in the same energy sublevel are each occupied by one electron before any orbital
is occupied by a second electron, and all electrons in singly occupied orbitals must have the same spin.
Rooms have 2 two beds, but electrons would prefer to have their own room. However, electrons are lazy
so they’d rather share a room than have to walk up the steps to an empty room on a higher floor. When
the second electron knocks on the door to ask if it can share the room, the first electron says “you can
stay but you have to spin the other way!”
5. Order of Energy Sublevels - These are the floors on our “electron hotel” from the ground floor to the top floor.
7p
6d
5f
7s
6p
5d
4f
Increasing Energy

6s
5p
4d
5s
4p
3d
4s
3p
3s
2p
2s
1s
6. Electron Notation allows us to keep track of where the electrons are in an element. There are 3 main types of
notations: orbital notation, electron configuration notation, and noble gas notation.
7. Orbital Notation – Shows electrons in individual orbitals.
for oxygen
↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑ ↑
1s 2s 2p

for fluorine

for neon

8. Electron Configuration Notation - Shows the electrons in each sub level, but not in each orbital.
for oxygen, the notation is 1s22s22p4.

for fluorine

for neon

9. Noble Gas Notation – Shows the electron configuration starting from the previous noble gas. This notation is
typically used for period 3 and higher elements.
for oxygen, the notation is [He] 2s22p4.

for fluorine

for neon

for sodium

for magnesium