Electron Configuration

Quantum Mechanical Model

  • Determines the allowed energies an electron can have within an atom.

  • Describes how likely it is to find an electron in various locations around the nucleus.

  • Also known as (AKA) the electron cloud.

Energy Levels

  • Represents the distance from the nucleus of an atom where electrons may be found.

  • Also known as (AKA) an electron shell.

  • The periods (rows) of the periodic table are used to determine the energy level of an atom.

Atomic Orbitals

  • Orbital: A region of space where there is a high probability of finding an electron.

  • Each energy level contains sublevels, which indicate the specific types and shapes of orbitals.

  • Sublevels are labeled as ss, pp, dd, and ff.