Electron Configurations and Quantum Mechanics

This set of flashcards covers key concepts related to electron configurations, quantum mechanics, and the rules governing electron arrangement in atoms.

Pauli's Exclusion Principle

No two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers.

Electron Spin

A quantum property of electrons described as either 'spin-up' (ms = +1/2) or 'spin-down' (ms = -1/2).

Hund's Rule

Electrons will occupy degenerate orbitals singly before pairing up, and all singly occupied orbitals will have the same spin.

Aufbau Principle

Electrons occupy the lowest energy orbitals first before filling higher energy orbitals.

Electron Configuration

The arrangement of electrons in an atom's orbitals, commonly represented in terms of the subshells occupied.

Valence Electrons

Electrons in the outermost shell of an atom that are involved in chemical bonding.

Ground State Configuration

The electron configuration of an atom in its lowest energy state.

Transition Metals Exceptions

Elements like Mo, Ur, Ag, Au have exceptions in their electron configurations due to stability reasons.

Orbital Energy Levels

The energy associated with an electron in an orbital, impacting the arrangement of electrons within an atom.

Noble Gas Configuration

A shorthand notation for electron configurations that uses the last noble gas to simplify the representation.