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Untitled 1
This page explores how you write electronic structures for atoms
using s, p, and d notation. It assumes that you know about simple
atomic orbitals - at least as far as the way they are named, and
their relative energies. If you want to look at the electronic
Now the 2p levels start to fill. These levels all have the same
energy, and so the electrons go in singly at first.
B
1s22s22px1
1s22s22px12py1
1s22s22px12py12pz1
Note: The orbitals where something new is happening
are shown in bold type. You wouldn't normally write
them any differently from the other orbitals.
1s22s22px22py12pz1
1s22s22px22py22pz1
Ne
1s22s22px22py22pz2
You can see that it is going to get progressively tedious to write the
full electronic structures of atoms as the number of electrons
increases. There are two ways around this, and you must be
familiar with both.
Shortcut 1: All the various p electrons can be lumped together. For
example, fluorine could be written as 1s22s22p5, and neon as
1s22s22p6.
Notice that the 2p electrons are all lumped together whereas the 3p
ones are shown in full. The logic is that the 3p electrons will be
involved in bonding because they are on the outside of the atom,
whereas the 2p electrons are buried deep in the atom and aren't
really of any interest.
Shortcut 2: You can lump all the inner electrons together using, for
example, the symbol [Ne]. In this context, [Ne] means the
electronic structure of neon - in other words: 1s22s22px22py22pz2
You wouldn't do this with helium because it takes longer to write
[He] than it does 1s2.
1s22s22p63s2
[Ne]3s2
1s22s22p63s23px23py13pz1
[Ne]3s23px23py13pz1
Ar
1s22s22p63s23px23py23pz2
[Ne]3s23px23py23pz2
Note: Check that you can do these. Cover the text and
then work out these structures for yourself. Then do all
the rest of this period. When you've finished, check your
answers against the corresponding elements from the
previous period. Your answers should be the same
except a level further out.
1s22s22p63s23p64s1
Ca
1s22s22p63s23p64s2
d-block elements
We are working out the electronic structures of the atoms using the
Aufbau ("building up") Principle. So far we have got to calcium with
a structure of 1s22s22p63s23p64s2.
The 4s level is now full, and the structures of the next atoms show
electrons gradually filling up the 3d level. These are known as d-
block elements.
Once the 3d orbitals have filled up, the next electrons go into the
4p orbitals as you would expect.
d-block elements are elements in which the last electron to be
added to the atom using the Aufbau Principle is in a d orbital.
The first series of these contains the elements from scandium to
zinc, which at GCSE you probably called transition elements or
transition metals. The terms "transition element" and "d-block
element" don't quite have the same meaning, but it doesn't matter
in the present context.
d electrons are almost always described as, for example, d 5 or d8 and not written as separate orbitals. Remember that there are five
d orbitals, and that the electrons will inhabit them singly as far as
possible. Up to 5 electrons will occupy orbitals on their own. After
that they will have to pair up.
d5 means
d8 means
Notice in what follows that all the 3-level orbitals are written
together - with the 4s electrons written at the end of the electronic
structure.
Sc
1s22s22p63s23p63d14s2
Ti
1s22s22p63s23p63d24s2
1s22s22p63s23p63d34s2
Cr
1s22s22p63s23p63d54s1
1s22s22p63s23p63d54s2
Fe
1s22s22p63s23p63d64s2
Co
1s22s22p63s23p63d74s2
Ni
1s22s22p63s23p63d84s2
Cu
1s22s22p63s23p63d104s1
Zn
1s22s22p63s23p63d104s2
Summary
Writing the electronic structure of an element from hydrogen
to krypton
Use the Periodic Table to find the atomic number, and hence
number of electrons.
Fill up orbitals in the order 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p until you run out of electrons. The 3d is the awkward one remember that specially. Fill p and d orbitals singly as far as
possible before pairing electrons up.
Remember that chromium and copper have electronic
structures which break the pattern in the first row of the dblock.
Writing the electronic structure of big s- or p-block elements
First work out the number of outer electrons. This is quite likely all
you will be asked to do anyway.
The number of outer electrons is the same as the group number.
(The noble gases are a bit of a problem here, because they are
normally called group 0 rather then group 8. Helium has 2 outer
electrons; the rest have 8.) All elements in group 3, for example,
have 3 electrons in their outer level. Fit these electrons into s and p
orbitals as necessary. Which level orbitals? Count the periods in
the Periodic Table (not forgetting the one with H and He in it).
Iodine is in group 7 and so has 7 outer electrons. It is in the fifth
period and so its electrons will be in 5s and 5p orbitals. Iodine has
the outer structure 5s25px25py25pz1.
What about the inner electrons if you need to work them out as
well? The 1, 2 and 3 levels will all be full, and so will the 4s, 4p and
4d. The 4f levels don't fill until after anything you will be asked
about at A'level. Just forget about them! That gives the full
structure: 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p64d105s25px25py25pz1.
When you've finished, count all the electrons to make sure that
they come to the same as the atomic number. Don't forget to make
this check - it's easy to miss an orbital out when it gets this
complicated.
Barium is in group 2 and so has 2 outer electrons. It is in the sixth
period. Barium has the outer structure 6s2.
Including all the inner levels:
1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p64d105s25p66s2.
It would be easy to include 5d10 as well by mistake, but the d level
always fills after the next s level - so 5d fills after 6s just as 3d fills
after 4s. As long as you counted the number of electrons you could
easily spot this mistake because you would have 10 too many.