Electronic Configurations

The following periodic table may be useful.


What is the electronic configuration of 15P?
[Ne] 3s2 3p3 [Ne] 3s3 3p2 [Ar] 4s2 3d3 [Ne] 3s2 3p6

What is the electronic configuration of 16S2-?
[Ne] 3s2 3p4 [Ne] 3s2 3p2 [Ar] 4s2 3d6 [Ne] 3s2 3p6

What is the electronic configuration of 23V?
[Ar] 4s2 3d2 [Ar] 4s2 3d3 [Ar] 4s1 3d2 [Ar] 3d5

What is the electronic configuration of 27Co?
[Ar] 4s2 3d5 [Ar] 4s1 3d8 [Ar] 4s2 3d10 [Ar] 4s2 3d7

What is the electronic configuration of 27Co2+?
[Ar] 4s2 3d5 [Ar] 3d7 [Ar] 4s2 3d9 [Ar] 4s2 3d7

What is the electronic configuration of 29Cu?
[Ar] 4s2 3d9 [Ar] 3d9 [Ar] 4s23d10 [Ar] 4s1 3d10

The Pauli Exclusion Principle says ___.
No two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers. Electrons will occupy separate orbitals within a subshell until the subshell is more than half-filled. Electrons will occupy the lowest energy orbitals available. No two electrons are alike.

The Auf Bau Principle says ___.
No two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers. Electrons will occupy separate orbitals within a subshell until the subshell is more than half-filled. Electrons will occupy the lowest energy orbitals available. No two electrons are alike.

Hund's Rules says ___.
No two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers. Electrons will occupy separate orbitals within a subshell until the subshell is more than half-filled. Electrons will occupy the lowest energy orbitals available. No two electrons are alike.

Draw an obital diagram for the valence electrons in 33As. How many unpaired electrons are there?
1 2 3 4

Draw an obital diagram for the valence electrons in 42Mo. How many unpaired electrons are there?
4 5 6 7

When an atom forms a positive ion ___.
it loses electrons with the highest n first it loses electrons with the highest l first it maximizes the number of unpaired electrons it always ends up with a noble gas configuration


Patrick E. Fleming
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
California State University, East Bay
patrick.fleming@csueastbay.edu