Electron Configuration and Magnetic Property of Atoms

Core Method

Writing the electron configuration of an atom can sometimes be a tedious task especially when the number of electrons is large. Writing the whole configuration can take time. To solve this problem, there is another way of expressing the electron configuration in a much shorter way. This is called the ________ of Electron Configuration.

Valence electrons

These are the electrons that are found on the outermost energy level of an atom.

7

Chlorine has an electron configuration of [Ne] 3s2 3p5, how many valence electrons does it have?

Paramagnetic

(attracted to magnetic field) refers to the magnetic state of an atom

with one or more unpaired electrons. The unpaired electrons are attracted by a magnetic field due to the electron’s magnetic dipole moments.

Diamagnetism

(repelled by magnetic field) is characterized by paired electrons. This causes the magnetic fields of the electrons to cancel out; there is no net magnetic moment, and the atom cannot be attracted into a magnetic field.