Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
This page shows the electron configurations of the neutral gaseous atoms in their ground states. For each atom the subshells are given first in concise form, then with all subshells written out, followed by the number of electrons per shell. For phosphorus (element 15) as an example, the concise form is [Ne] 3s 2 3p 3.
In each term of an electron configuration, n is the positive integer that precedes each orbital letter (helium's electron configuration is 1s 2, therefore n = 1, and the orbital contains two electrons). An atom's nth electron shell can accommodate 2n 2 electrons. For example, the first shell can accommodate two electrons, the second shell eight ...
In this way, the electrons of an atom or ion form the most stable electron configuration possible. An example is the configuration 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 2 3p 3 for the phosphorus atom, meaning that the 1s subshell has 2 electrons, the 2s subshell has 2 electrons, the 2p subshell has 6 electrons, and so on.
As an example, consider the ground state of silicon.The electron configuration of Si is 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 2 3p 2 (see spectroscopic notation).We need to consider only the outer 3p 2 electrons, for which it can be shown (see term symbols) that the possible terms allowed by the Pauli exclusion principle are 1 D , 3 P , and 1 S.
Note that these electron configurations are given for neutral atoms in the gas phase, which are not the same as the electron configurations for the same atoms in chemical environments. In many cases, multiple configurations are within a small range of energies and the small irregularities that arise in the d- and f-blocks are quite irrelevant ...
Compounds that obey the 18-electron rule are typically "exchange inert". Examples include [Co(NH 3) 6]Cl 3, Mo(CO) 6, and [Fe(CN) 6] 4−.In such cases, in general ligand exchange occurs via dissociative substitution mechanisms, wherein the rate of reaction is determined by the rate of dissociation of a ligand.
Chemical substances will form bonding interactions if their orbitals become lower in energy when they interact with each other. Different bonding orbitals are distinguished that differ by electron configuration (electron cloud shape) and by energy levels. The molecular orbitals of a molecule can be illustrated in molecular orbital diagrams.
The resulting electron configuration can be described in terms of bond type, parity and occupancy for example dihydrogen 1σ g 2. Alternatively it can be written as a molecular term symbol e.g. 1 Σ g + for dihydrogen. Sometimes, the letter n is used to designate a non-bonding orbital. For a stable bond, the bond order defined as