Electron Configurations

What is the electron structure in an atom?

NS F4 Electron Configuration
Why? ANSWERS
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What structure of
is the electron an atom isinvery
structure an important.
atom? Scientists use the electronic structure of atoms to
predict bonding in molecules, the charge(s) an atom might have, and the physical properties of elements.
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the important. Scientistsinuse
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they give of atoms“addresses.”
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are assigned.
spaces in an atom and how their “addresses” or configurations are assigned.

Model 1 – The Boarding House

Sunny
Sunny
Rooms
Rooms Pink
Rooms

kitchen kitchen kitchen

Time: 1:00 pm 3:00 pm 5:00 pm

Manager’s Code: 1s1 1s2 2s2 2p2 1s2 2s2 2p4

kitchen kitchen kitchen kitchen

Time: 7:00 pm 9:00 pm 11:00 pm

Manager’s Code: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3
1. Examine the boarding house diagrams in Model 1. Match each symbol below with its most likely
meaning.
1. Examine the boarding house diagrams above. Choosing from the lettered list to the left (below), match the meaning of each
symbol____a.
(as used in the diagrams and configurations
I. Bunk bed above) with the correct description in the list to the right (below). Write
for boarders
the letter of each symbol on the line to the left of each description.
____b. II. Manager’s code for the number of boarders in the house and
a. b. their room assignments.
_______ Bunk bed for boarders
____c. 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1 III. Boarder
b. c. 1s2 2s22p6 3s1 Manager’s code for the number of boarders in the house, and their room
_______
assignments
c. 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1
a.
Electron Configuration _______ Boarder 1

2. Refer to the diagram above.

a. How many boarders were in the boarding house at 5:00 pm? 8 boarders at 5pm

b. What two ways could you have used to determine your answer for part a.?

By counting the 8 circles or adding up the exponents in the manager’s code 1s2 2s2 2p4
NS F4 Electron Configuration ANSWERS
3. Examine each diagram in Model 1, and the corresponding manager’s code. Using the 5:00 pm manager’s code shown below,
underline the floor numbers in red, circle the types of rooms in green, and draw a box around the number of borders in
yellow.

1s2 2s2 2p4

4. The manager of the boarding house has some very strict rules on how beds will be rented out for the night. Examine the
diagrams in Model 1 and the statements below to determine the phrase that best describes the manager’s set of rules. Draw a
line through the incorrect answers in the underlined portion of the sentence, so that the sentence is a correct statement.

a. The boarding house will rent out beds on the (1st, 2nd, 3rd, any) floor first.

b. Electron Configurations
Boarders are only allowed to double up in a bunk in a room when
(there is an even number of boarders in the room, all bottom bunks are occupied).
What is the electron structure in an atom?
c. The next floor of rooms will be opened for boarders only when
Why? (half of the bunks, at least one of the rooms, all of the bunks) on the floor below are occupied.

The
d. Theelectron structure
pink room on a floorof anbeatom
will openedisfor
very important.
boarders only whenScientists use the electronic structure of atoms to
(all ofbonding
predict the lower bunks in the sunnythe
in molecules, room on that floor
charge(s) anare occupied,
atom might have, and the physical properties of elements.
all of the bunks in the sunny room on that floor are occupied,
In order for scientists to describe the electron structure in an atom, they give the electrons “addresses.”
Justthe
likesunny room on that floor is open).
your address might include your house number, street, city, and state, an electron’s “address” has
multiple parts. In this activity, you will learn how the electrons fill up the available spaces in an atom and
how their “addresses” or configurations are assigned.
5. Finish filling in the boarding house diagram below, to represents the sleeping situation when 14 boarders are present, and
then write the managers code on the line to the right of the diagram.
Model 1 – The Boarding House

Sunny
Sunny
Rooms
Rooms Pink
Rooms

kitchen kitchen kitchen

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2

Time: 1:00 pm 3:00 pm 5:00 pm

Manager’s Code: 1s1 1s2 2s2 2p2 1s2 2s2 2p4

kitchen kitchen kitchen

Time: 7:00 pm 9:00 pm 11:00 pm

Manager’s Code: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1 1s 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1
2
1s 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3
2
 NS F4 Electron Configuration ANSWERS
Ground State Orbital Diagrams and Electron Configurations
Model
Compare the 2 – Ground
ground state orbitalState Orbital
diagrams Diagrams
below to the and
boarding house Electron
diagrams Configurations
on page 1.
Compare the electron configurations below to the manger’s code, also on page 1.

3p 3p 3p
3s 3s 3s
Increasing Energy

2p 2p 2p
2s 2s 2s

1s 1s 1s

Hydrogen Carbon
Beryllium Oxygen
1s1 1s2 1s
2s22 2s
2p22 1s2 2s2 2p4
alternative
orbital notation ⊘ ⨂⨂ ⨂ ⨂ ⨂⊘⊘

3p 3p 3p
3s 3s 3s

2p 2p 2p
2s 2s 2s

1s 1s 1s
Sodium Aluminum Phosphorus
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3
alternative
orbital notation ⨂ ⨂ ⨂⨂⨂ ⨂ ⨂ ⨂⨂⨂ ⨂ 〇〇
⊘ ⨂ ⨂ ⨂⨂⨂ ⨂ ⊘ ⊘⊘⊘
6. Examine the orbital diagrams and electron configurations in Model 2. Match each symbol below
with its meaning.
6. Examine the orbital diagrams and electron configurations as shown above. Choosing from the lettered list to the left (below),
match the____a.
meaning of each symbol (as I. Single
used inelectron
the diagrams and configurations above) with the correct description in the list
to the right (below). Write the letter of each symbol on the line to the left of each description.
____b. II. Pair of electrons with opposite spins
a. ____c.
1s2 2s2 2p4 c. __
III. ↑____ orbital
Atomic Single electron (individual
(region of boarder)
space where an electron is likely to be found)
b. ____d. IV. Sublevel (set of orbitals having equivalent energy)
d. __↑ ↓__ Pair of electrons with opposite spins (boarders in a bunk bed together)
↑ 1s 2s 2p
c. ____e. V. Electron configuration
2 2 4

d. ↑↓ b. __ __ Atomic orbital (room in boarding house)

e. a. 1s2 2s2 2p4 Electron configuration (manager’s code)

e. Sublevel, set of orbitals having equivalent energy (rooms with the same
name in boarding house)
Electron Configuration 3
NS F4 Electron Configuration ANSWERS
7. Consider the orbital diagram for oxygen on the previous page 3.
a. How many electrons are present in the orbital diagram? 8
b. Checking the periodic table, is your answer to part (a) is the correct number of electrons for oxygen? yes

8. Examine the electron configuration for oxygen, as compared with the corresponding 5:00 pm manager’s code shown below.
Underline the energy levels in red, circle the sublevels in green, and draw a box around the number of electrons in yellow.

1s2 2s2 2p4

9. The lowest potential energy arrangement of electrons in an atom is called the ground state. Ground state electron
configurations can be predicted by a strict set of rules known as the Aufbau Principle (“aufbau”means filling up). Examine
the diagrams on page 3 and the statements below to determine the phrase that best describes each rule. Draw a line through
the incorrect answers in the underlined portion of the sentence, so that the sentence is a correct statement.
a. Based on where a single electron is placed, the lowest potential energy electron in an
atom is found in the (1st, 2nd, 3rd, any) sublevel.
b. Electrons will pair up in an orbital only when
(there is an even number of electrons in the sublevel, all the orbitals in the same sublevel have one electron).
c. Electrons can begin to occupy energy levels with the next highest integer designation only after
(half of the orbitals, at least one of the orbitals, all of the orbitals) on the energy level below are occupied.
d. Electrons will occupy a p-orbital only after
(the previous s-orbital is half full, the previous s-orbital is completely full, the previous s-orbital is empty).

10. The Pauli Exclusion Principle describes the restriction on the placement of electrons into the same orbital.
The Pauli exclusion principle can be expressed as: “If two electrons occupy the same orbital,
they must have (the same spin opposite spin).”

11. Hund’s Rule describes how electrons are distributed among orbitals of the same sublevel when there is more than one way to
distribute them. Hund’s rule consists of two important ideas.
a. Electrons will pair up in an orbital only when
(there is an even number of electrons in the sublevel, all the orbitals in the same sublevel have one electron).

b. When single electrons occupy different orbitals of the same sublevel,

(they all have the same spin, they all have different spins, their spins are random).

12. Finish filling in the orbital diagram for silicon AND write the electron configuration on the line above the diagram.

Model 2 2– Ground State Orbital Diagrams and Electron Configurations

2 6 2 2 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 13. Put a box around all the electrons in the orbital diagram you filled in
that would represent the electrons of the neon atom.

↑ ↑ 3p
3p 14. On the line below, to3pthe right of the [Ne], write the electron
3p
↑↓ 3s
configuration for all of the electrons in the diagram that you did NOT
3s a box around.
put 3s
Increasing Energy

↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ 2p
2p [Ne] 3s2 3p2 2p 2p
↑↓ 2s 2s just written the condensed electron
You have 2s configuration for silicon.

↓ 1s 1s 1s

Hydrogen Carbon
Fill in this alternative orbital notation Oxygen
1
1s 1s2 2s2 2p2 1s2 2s2 2p4