Electronic Structure of Atoms

Vocabulary flashcards covering the electronic structure of atoms, including shells, subshells, orbitals, and electron configuration rules.

Shells

Region of space around an atom's nucleus where electrons are found, each with a unique energy level and capable of holding a finite number of electrons.

Subshell

A region of space within a shell that contains electrons that have the same energy, designated by letters s, p, d, f.

Orbitals

A region of space within a subshell where an electron of specific energy can be found; each orbital can hold 2 electrons with opposite spins.

Electron Configuration

The exact arrangement of electrons in an atom's shells and subshells, written from lowest energy to highest.

Orbital Diagram

A representation using a box or line to represent each orbital and arrows to represent electrons, where each orbital in a subshell receives one electron before any receives a second.

Rule 1 of Electron Configuration

Electrons occupy the lowest energy orbitals available.

Rule 2 of Electron Configuration

Each orbital can hold only two electrons, which must be of opposite spin.

Rule 3 of Electron Configuration

Two or more orbitals with the same energy are each half-filled by one electron before any one orbital is completely filled by addition of the second electron.

Valence Shell

The shell furthest away or 'outermost' from the nucleus.

Valence Electrons

Electrons located in the valence shell, which are responsible for chemical reactivity.

Electron-Dot Symbols

A diagram that represents the number of valence electrons, where each dot represents one valence electron, and each side gets one electron before any side gets two.