ORBITAL

- electrons are located around the nucleus of an atom

- they move so fast that it is impossible to locate their exact location
- however, they can occupy a certain region called “orbital”
- an “orbital” is a region around the nucleus where there is a high probability of having a maximum of 2 electrons

- An orbital is represented as a square box

- An electron is represented as “up-spin” and “down-spin”

SUBLEVELS
- contain 1 or more orbitals

1. s-sublevel (sharp)=1 orbital = can hold a maximum of 2 e-

2. p-sublevel (principal)=3 orbitals = can hold a maximum of 6 e-

3. diffuse or “d-sublevel” =5 orbitals = can hold a maximum of 10 e-

4. fundamental or “f-sublevel” = 7 orbitals = can hold a maximum of 14 e-

ELECTRON SHELLS / MAIN ENERGY LEVELS

- Electrons around the atom’s nucleus are placed in different energy levels
- The energy levels are also called “shells” or “main energy levels” or “MEL”
- The lowest energy level is nearest the nucleus:

ELECTRON CONFIGURATION
- shows the arrangement or “configuration” of electrons around the nucleus
- contains the shell, sublevel, and number of electrons
- electrons should fill the LOWEST SHELLS and SUBLEVELS FIRST before proceeding to higher shells and sublevels

Example:

What is the electron configuration of hydrogen (H)?

*Neutral hydrogen has 1 proton, so it has 1 electron.
* We are going to place the 1 electron of hydrogen on its shell and sublevel

1. Write the 1st shell and s-sublevel→1s

2. Write the number of electron on s-sublevel→ 1𝑠1

*The configuration is DONE if ALL the ELECTRONS are already placed

*So, the electron configuration of hydrogen is 1𝑠1

What is the electron configuration of lithium (Li)?

*Neutral lithium has 3 protons, so it has 3 electrons.
* We are going to place the 3 electrons of lithium on their shells and sublevels

1. Write the 1st shell and s-sublevel→1s

2. Write the number of electrons on s-sublevel→ 1𝑠2

*We already placed 2 electrons on s-sublevel. Remember that s-sublevel has only 1 orbital, so it can only hold up to 2
electrons. There is still 1 electron left

3. Continue by writing the 2nd shell and s-sublevel→ 1 𝑠2 2𝑠

4. Write the number of electron on s-sublevel of 2nd shell→ 1 𝑠2 2𝑠1

*The configuration is DONE because all the 3 electrons of lithium are already placed
*The electron configuration of lithium is 1 𝑠2 2𝑠1

What is the electron configuration of oxygen (O)?

*Neutral oxygen has 8 protons, so it has 8 electrons.

* We are going to place the 8 electrons of oxygen on their shells and sublevels

1. Write the 1st shell and s-sublevel→ 1 s

2. Write the number of electron on s-sublevel→ 1 𝑠2

*We already placed 2 electrons on s-sublevel. There are still 6 electrons left

3. Continue by writing the 2nd shell and s-sublevel→ 1 𝑠2 2 𝑠

4. Write the number of electron on s-sublevel→ 1 𝑠2 2 𝑠2

*We already placed 4 electrons. There are still 4 electrons left

5. Continue by writing the 2nd shell again, and p-sublevel→ 1 𝑠2 2 𝑠2 2 𝑝

6. Write the number of electron on p-sublevel of 2nd shell→ 1 𝑠2 2 𝑠2 2 𝑝 4

*The configuration is DONE because all the 8 electrons of oxygen are already placed
*The electron configuration of oxygen is 1 𝑠2 2 𝑠2 2 𝑝 4
ORBITAL NOTATION
- is placed below an electron configuration
- composed of orbitals and electrons
- an arrow (up-spin or down-spin) represents 1 electron
- take note that 2 electrons repel each other because of same charge (e- →e-)
- this means that each electron likes to occupy an orbital “alone” as much as possible
- electrons are FIRST WRITTEN as UP-SPIN on the LEFT-SIDE of separate orbitals
- the remaining electrons will then share with the previously-placed electrons, but will be written as DOWN-SPIN on the
RIGHT SIDE
QUANTUM NUMBERS
Four quantum numbers (with symbols: n, ℓ, m, s) are assigned to each electron of an atom to describe its behavior or motion
around the nucleus. It is like assigning each electron in an atom a unique “address.” This is also the basis of electron
configuration and orbital notation:

1. Principal quantum number (n)→ refers to the main energy level or shell:
K shell = 1
L shell = 2
M shell = 3
N shell = 4…

2. Angular momentum (Azimuthal) quantum number (ℓ)→ refers to the sublevel:

s-sublevel=0
p-sublevel= 1
d-sublevel= 2
f-sublevel=3

3. Magnetic quantum number (m or mℓ)→refers to each “orbital notation box”:

4. Spin quantum number (s or ms)→refers to electron spin:

+1/2 for up-spin or -1/2 for down-spin
Examples:

NOTE: Each electron in an atom has a unique set of assigned quantum numbers.

*The quantum numbers are based on:

*Aufbau Principle – electrons fill lower energy level first before higher energy level
*Hund’s Rule – Each electron occupies separate orbital until all orbitals in subshell are half-filled, then the succeeding
electrons will pair up but with opposite spin
*Pauli’s Exclusion Principle- two electrons that share an orbital will have opposite spins; an orbital can only have a
maximum of 2 electrons

ELECTRON PAIR (LONE PAIR)

- are electrons that share one orbital
- Since electrons repel each other, the 2 electrons spin in opposite directions (up-spin and down-spin)

VALENCE SHELL AND VALENCE ELECTRON (ve-)

- valence shell is the outermost shell or MEL of an atom
- valence electrons (ve-) are the electrons found in the valence shell
- so, valence electrons are also the outermost electrons of an atom
ELECTRON DOT STRUCTURE
- also known as “Lewis Dot Structure” or “Dot Diagram”
- the dots around the symbol of an element are the number of valence electrons

PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS

- Contains information of all known elements
Trends/Patterns in the Periodic Table of Elements:
*Rows are called Periods – shows the number of shells
*Columns are called Groups – shows number of valence electrons (with exceptions to transition metals)
*Group 1 elements have 1 valence electron
*Groups 2 to 12 elements have 2 valence electrons (transition metals’ valence electrons may vary)
*Groups: 13 (3ve), 14 (4ve), 15 (5 ve), 16 (6ve), 17 (7ve), and 18 (8ve except Helium)

Elements are also grouped into Blocks: indicate the highest sublevel electrons occupy.
*s-block: s-orbital/sublevel (Groups 1, 2, and Period 1)
*p-block: p-orbital/sublevel (Groups 13 to 18 except Helium)
*d-block: d-orbital/sublevel (Groups 3 to 12 - transition metals)
*f-block: f-orbital/sublevel (Group 3B - inner transition metals)
*f-block elements are grouped as Lanthanides (Lanthanum or La) and Actinides (Actinium or Ac)

Classification of Elements: Metals, Non-Metals, Metalloids, and Noble Gases

*Groups 1 to 13 are metals (except H, and B)
*metals typically may have 1-3 valence electrons
*Groups 3 to 12 are called transition metals because of varying # of valence electrons
*metals are typically lustrous (shiny), malleable, ductile, and good conductors of heat/electricity
*Groups 14 to 17 are non-metals (except some metalloids)
*non-metals may have 4-7 valence electrons (except Hydrogen, which has 1 ve-)
*non-metals are typically not lustrous, brittle, and poor conductors of heat/electricity
*Group 17 elements are called halogens (highly reactive non-metals)
*Group 18 elements are noble gases
*noble gases have 8 valence electrons (except Helium, which has 2 ve-)
*noble gases typically do not chemically combine with other atoms/molecules (due to octet rule)
*Metalloids occupy Groups 13 to 16 of the Periodic Table of Elements
*metalloids may have 3-6 valence electrons (B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, Te, and Po)
*metalloids form a “ladder-like” pattern in the Periodic Table of Elements
*metalloids show properties of both metals and non-metals
*uranium (U) is the known natural element with highest atomic number of 92
OCTET RULE
- states that an atom with 2 or more shells tendsto have 8 valence electrons to make them “stable” or not reactive
- hydrogen and helium, which have 1 shell, only needs 2 valence electrons to become stable or not reactive

OXIDATION NUMBER/STATE
- also known as oxidation state
- shows the possibility of an atom to gain or lose electron

Number of Valence Possible Oxidation Number Possibility

Electrons or Oxidation State
1 +1 lose 1 electron
2 +2 lose 2 electrons
3 +3 lose 3 electrons
4 +/- 4 lose or gain 4 electrons
5 -3 gain 3 electrons
6 -2 gain 2 electrons
7 -1 gain 1 electrons
8 0 no gain or loss of electron (stable)
*exception of Helium, which is a noble gas, therefore has oxidation state of 0