Electron Configuration

Atomic structure: The fundamental particle structure of an atom, including protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Quantum mechanics: The theoretical framework that underlies the study of atomic structure and electron configuration.

Wave-particle duality: The idea that electrons are both particles and waves.

Energy levels: The discrete energy levels that electrons can occupy within an atom.

Orbital shapes: The different shapes that electron orbitals can take, such as spherical or dumbbell-shaped.

Electron spin: The property of electrons that gives them a magnetic moment and causes them to align in a particular direction.

Aufbau principle: The rule that states that electrons fill orbitals in order of increasing energy.

Pauli exclusion principle: The rule that states that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of quantum numbers.

Hund's rule: The rule that states that electrons occupy orbitals of the same energy level singly, with their spins parallel, before they pair up.

Electron configuration notation: A shorthand notation for representing the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals.

Valence electrons: The outermost electrons in an atom, which participate in chemical bonding.

Noble gas configuration: The electron configuration of a noble gas, which represents a stable, closed-shell configuration.

Periodic table trends: The trends in electron configuration and other properties of elements that are observed across the periodic table.

Electron affinity: The energy released when an atom gains an electron to form an anion.

Ionization energy: The energy required to remove an electron from an atom to form a cation.

Transition metals: Elements that have incomplete d subshells in their electron configurations.

Lanthanides and actinides: The series of elements that fill the f subshell in their electron configurations.

Chemical bonding: The attraction between atoms that leads to the formation of molecules and compounds.

Ground state electron configuration: This is the normal or lowest energy level arrangement of an atom's electrons in its lowest energy state.

Excited state electron configuration: This is when an atom has absorbed energy, causing one or more electrons to move to higher energy levels, resulting in an unstable electron configuration.

Noble gas electron configuration: This configuration represents the way a noble gas has arranged its electrons. This type of configuration is useful when dealing with elements that have a large number of electrons.

Orbital notation electron configuration: This is a shorthand method for representing an atom's electron configuration by using arrows to represent each electron in an orbital. The direction of the arrow indicates the electron's spin.

Spectroscopic notation electron configuration: This notation is used to represent the electron configuration of an atom in a compact and efficient way. It uses the principle quantum number (n) to represent the electron's energy level, followed by a letter to indicate the sublevel, and a superscript to indicate the number of electrons in that sublevel.

Condensed electron configuration: This is a more compact form of electron configuration that is commonly used for transition metals and rare earth elements. In this type of configuration, the noble gas configuration is written in brackets and followed by the electron configuration of the outermost shell.

Core electron configuration: This represents the arrangement of electrons in the innermost shells of an atom. This type of configuration is useful in determining chemical properties and reactions.

Valence electron configuration: This represents the arrangement of electrons in the outermost shell of an atom, which are involved in chemical reactions. This configuration is important in understanding bonding and reactivity of an atom.