UNIT 1 ATOMIC

STRUCTURE AND
PROPERTIES
 1.
Topic
Atomic Structure and Electron Configuration 5 2
Electrons
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 Models
◉ Bohr’s Model of the atom is the most prevalent in media
◉ Key ideas:
■ Electrons exist only in certain discrete energy levels, which
are described by quantum numbers
■ Energy is involved in the transition of an electron from one
level to another.
◉ Limitations:
■ Only works for Hydrogen
■ Classical Physics says the electron should fall into the
nucleus
■ Circular motion is not wave-like in nature

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 Models
◉ Werner Heisenberg showed that the more precisely the
momentum of a particle is known, the less precisely its
position is known
◉ Erwin Schrödinger developed a mathematical
treatment into which both the wave and particle
nature of matter could be incorporated
◉ Known as quantum mechanics © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ The solution of Schrödinger’s wave equation for

hydrogen yields wave functions for the electron.
◉ The square of the wave function gives the electron
density, or probability of where an electron is likely to
be at any given time.

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 Quantum Numbers
◉ By solving the Schrödinger equation we obtain 4 quantum numbers (n, l, m l, ms) which describe probable location
of the electrons around the nucleus of an atom
◉ The inner electrons are called core electrons. The outer electrons are called valence electrons

Name Description Values Notes

n Principal quantum # Distance from nucleus 1, 2, 3, … n Corresponds to the row on the

periodic table for s and p. (n-1 for
d, n-2 for f etc.)

l Angular quantum # Shape of orbital, the 0, 1, 2, … n-1 0=s

most likely place to find 1=p
the electrons. 2=d
3=f

ml Magnetic quantum # Orientation of orbital -l … -1, 0, +1 … +l s = 1 orientation

p = 3 orientations (x, y, z)
d = 5 orientations (1,2,3,4,5)
f = 7 orientations (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

ms Spin quantum # Spin of electron (wave) + ½ , -½ Only two electrons fit into each
orbital, often describe as “up” and
“down”
THE ASSIGNMENT OF QUANTUM NUMBERS TO ELECTRONS IN SUBSHELLS OF AN ATOM WILL NOT BE ASSESSED ON THE AP EXAM.
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 s Orbitals
© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ The value of l for s orbitals is 0

◉ They are spherical in shape
◉ The radius of the sphere increases with the value of n

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 p Orbitals
© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ The value of l for p orbitals is 1

◉ They have two lobes with a node between them

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 d Orbitals
© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ The value of l for a d orbital is 2

◉ Four of the five d orbitals have four lobes; the other
resembles a p orbital with a doughnut around the center

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f Orbitals

◉ Very complicated shapes (not shown

in text)
◉ Seven equivalent orbitals in a sublevel
◉ l=3

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 Energy Levels
Energy Level
(principle
Possible Shapes
(orbitals)
Total # of
electrons
◉ Different distances from the
quantum nucleus are called energy levels
number)
◉ Each energy level has different
shapes possible
1 s (2 electrons) 2
◉ As the number of electrons
2 s (2 electrons) 8 increases, so does the repulsion
p (6 electrons)
between them
3 s (2 electrons) 18 ◉ Energy levels start to overlap in
p (6 electrons)
d (10 electrons)
energy (e.g., 4s is lower in energy
than 3d.)
4 s (2 electrons) 32
p (6 electrons)
d (10 electrons)
f (14 electrons)

© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Electron Configuration
◉ The way electrons are distributed in an atom is called its electron
configuration
◉ The most stable organization is the lowest possible energy, called the
ground state
◉ Each component consists of
◉ a number denoting the energy level
◉ a letter denoting the type of orbital
◉ a superscript denoting the number of electrons in those orbitals

© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Orbital Diagrams
◉ Each box (or line) in the diagram represents one orbital
◉ Half-arrows represent the electrons
◉ The direction of the arrow represents the relative spin of the electron (m s)

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 Aufbau Principle
◉ Aufbau comes from the German word
"Aufbauen" which means "to build"
◉ We “build” electron configurations as
we go from atom to atom
◉ Fill the orbitals in order of increasing
energy

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 Hund’s Rule
◉ Hund's rule states that:
◉ Every orbital in a sublevel is singly occupied before any orbital is doubly
occupied.
◉ All of the electrons in singly occupied orbitals have the same spin (to maximize
total spin)
◉ This means that, for a set of orbitals in the same sublevel, there must be one electron
in each orbital before pairing and the electrons have the same spin, as much as
possible

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 Pauli Exclusion Principle
◉ No two electrons in the same atom can have the same set of four quantum
numbers
◉ Therefore, no two electrons in the same atom can have the exact same energy
◉ This means that every electron in an atom must differ by at least one of the four
quantum number values: n, l, ml, and ms

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 Everything is on the Periodic Table
◉ Different blocks on the periodic table correspond to different types of orbitals:
s = blue, p = pink (s and p are representative elements); d = orange (transition
elements); f = tan (lanthanides and actinides, or inner transition elements)
◉ The s and p blocks are called the main-group elements
◉ Just follow the table till you reach the element you want
◉ The periodic table is followed directly when determining the electron configuration
for most elements
© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Noble Gas Configuration
◉ Elements in the same group of the periodic table have the same number of
electrons in the outermost shell. These are the valence electrons
◉ We write a shortened version of an electron configuration using brackets around a
noble gas symbol and listing only the valence electrons

© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Not everything is perfect
◉ Some irregularities occur when there are enough electrons to half-fill s and d
orbitals on a given row
◉ For instance, the electron configuration for chromium is

Rather than the expected

◉ This occurs because the 4s and 3d orbitals are very close in energy
◉ These anomalies occur in f-block atoms with f and d orbitals, as well
◉ More Stable = Better

© 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Example 1 Sample Exercise 6.7 © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ Draw the orbital diagram for the electron configuration of oxygen,

atomic number 8. How many unpaired electrons does an oxygen
atom possess?

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 Example 1 Sample Exercise 6.7 © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ Draw the orbital diagram for the electron configuration of oxygen,

atomic number 8. How many unpaired electrons does an oxygen
atom possess?

1s22s22p4

The atom has two unpaired electrons

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 Example 2 Sample Exercise 6.9 © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ Based on its position in the periodic table, write the condensed (noble gas)
electron configuration for bismuth, element 83

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 Example 2 Sample Exercise 6.9 © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ Based on its position in the periodic table, write the condensed (noble gas)
electron configuration for bismuth, element 83

[Xe]6s24f 145d106p3

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 Practice Problem 1

Which of the following is the ground-state electron configuration of the

F− ion?

A. 1s22s22p4
B. 1s22s22p5
C. 1s22s22p6
D. 1s22s22p63s23p6

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 Practice Problem 1

Which of the following is the ground-state electron configuration of the

F− ion?

A. 1s22s22p4
B. 1s22s22p5
C. 1s22s22p6
D. 1s22s22p63s23p6

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 Practice Problem 2
Which of the following best represents the ground-state electron configuration
for an atom of selenium?

A. 1s22s22p63s23p3
B. 1s22s22p63s23p4
C. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p4
D. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p5

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 Practice Problem 2
Which of the following best represents the ground-state electron configuration
for an atom of selenium?

A. 1s22s22p63s23p3
B. 1s22s22p63s23p4
C. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p4
D. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p5

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Coulomb’s Law
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https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/coulombs-law/
latest/coulombs-law_en.html

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 All about attraction
◉ Coulomb’s law tells us that the strength of the interaction between two electrical
charges depends on the magnitudes of the charges and on the distance between
them

q1 represents the quantity of charge on

object 1 (in Coulombs)
q2 represents the quantity of charge on
object 2 (in Coulombs)
d(or r) represents the distance of
separation between the two objects (in
meters).

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 We care about Proportionality
● F ∝ q1
◉ Force is proportional to either charge

● F ∝ q2
◉ the larger the charge the HIGHER the force of attraction

◉ Force is indirectly proportional to the distance squared ● F ∝ 1/d2

◉ the greater the distance between the e- and the p+ in the nucleus the LOWER
force of attraction

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 Effective Nuclear Charge
◉ Electrons are both attracted to the nucleus and repelled by other electrons
◉ The forces an electron experiences depend on both factors © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.

◉ The effective nuclear charge, Zeff, is found this way:

Zeff = Z − S
where Z is the atomic number and S is the number of
Inner (shielding) electrons. (this is a generalization)
◉ Effective nuclear charge is a periodic property:
◉ It increases across a period.
◉ It increases slightly down a group

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 Shielding Effect
◉ The Screening effect by inner (core) electrons is often called
shielding
◉ The electrons that are further from the nucleus are partly
“shielded” by the inner core electrons
◉ This shielding effect (electrostatic repulsion from inner core
electrons) reduces the electrostatic attraction between the outer
electrons and the proton in the nucleus
◉ The outer electrons are pushed away because of the repulsion
between them and the core electrons
◉ The net result is that the protons in the nucleus cannot hold on to
the outer electrons as tightly as the core electrons

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Super Good Video

https://youtu.be/hs5t-6iq6-c

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 Ionization Energy
◉ The ionization energy is the minimum energy required to remove an electron from the ground
state of a gaseous atom or ion
◉ The first ionization energy is that energy required to remove the first electron
◉ The second ionization energy is that energy required to remove the second electron
◉ The higher the ionization energy, the more difficult it is to remove an electron!
◉ When all valence electrons have been removed, it takes a great deal more energy to remove
the next electron (a core electron)
◉ Depends on effective nuclear charge and average distance of the electron from the nucleus

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 Calculate Zeff Practice

Neon Sodium

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 Calculate Zeff Practice

Neon Sodium

Zeff = Z - S Zeff = Z - S Zeff = Z - S Zeff = Z - S

Zeff = (10) - (2)

Zeff = (9) - (2) Zeff = (9) - (2) Zeff = (11) - (10)

Zeff = +8
Zeff = +7 Zeff = +7 Zeff = +1

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 AP Daily Videos Topic 1.5

https://youtu.be/zYWJCtgQ3IM

https://youtu.be/lhauH8FyEQo

https://youtu.be/yUPdtFqilXo

Review Videos

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