Electronic Configuration of Atoms

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to electronic configuration in atoms, suitable for exam preparation.

Electronic Configuration

The arrangement of electrons in an atom's orbitals.

Ground State

The lowest energy state of an atom, where all electrons occupy the lowest available orbitals.

Excited State

A state of an atom where one or more electrons have absorbed energy and moved to a higher energy level.

Quantum Numbers

A set of numbers that describe the unique quantum state of an electron in an atom, including principal quantum number (n), azimuthal quantum number (ℓ), magnetic quantum number (mℓ), and spin quantum number (ms).

Pauli Exclusion Principle

No two electrons in the same atom can have identical values for all four quantum numbers.

Hund’s Rule

Electrons occupy degenerate orbitals singly before pairing up to minimize repulsion between them.

Aufbau Principle

Electrons fill orbitals starting from the lowest energy level to the highest.

Degenerate Orbitals

Orbitals that have the same energy level.

Noble-Gas-Core Electronic Configuration

A notation that uses the electron configuration of the nearest noble gas to simplify the expression of other elements' configurations.

Isoelectronic

Atoms or ions that have the same electron configuration.