Chemistry › Section F · Electronic structure and periodic properties › Topic F.4
Electron configurations
An electron configuration lists which orbitals an atom's electrons occupy. Three simple rules, applied in order, predict it for almost every element, and the result explains the shape of the periodic table and why elements in a group behave alike.
In this topic
- Orbital energies in many-electron atoms
- The aufbau order
- Pauli, Hund and orbital diagrams
- Worked example: sulfur
- Noble-gas shorthand and valence electrons
- The periodic table as a map
- Worked example: bromine from the table
- Exceptions: chromium and copper
- Configurations of ions
- Worked example: ions of manganese and sulfur
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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