PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY · REFERENCE
S SOLVE ARENA
JEE MAIN + ADVANCED
Electron
Configurations
All 118 Elements — Ground State
H → Og s / p / d / f blocks All Aufbau exceptions flagged
CRACK CONCEPTS. OWN THE ARENA. 11 PAGES
01 How To Read This Codex
Notation, block colours, and a note on the heaviest elements
NOTATION
Each configuration is written in noble-gas core form — the symbol of the last full noble gas before that element in square brackets,
followed only by the electrons added after it. Example: iron (Z = 26) is [Ar] 3d6 4s2, meaning it has all 18 electrons of argon plus 6 more
in 3d and 2 more in 4s.
BLOCK COLOUR KEY
s Groups 1–2 + H, He — last electron enters an s-subshell d Groups 3–12 (transition metals) — last electron enters a d-
subshell
p Groups 13–18 — last electron enters a p-subshell
f Lanthanides & actinides — last electron enters an f-subshell
EXCEPTION MARKER
A red * next to a configuration means that element's actual ground state deviates from what the simple (n + l) Aufbau order would
predict — usually for the extra stability of a half-filled or fully-filled subshell. Page 10 collects every one of these in a single table.
◆ JEE ADVANCED — A NECESSARY CAVEAT
Configurations for elements 104 (Rf) onward have never been experimentally measured — only a handful of atoms of each have ever been made, each surviving for a
fraction of a second. The values shown are theoretical predictions from relativistic calculations, accepted by IUPAC as the best current estimate, not lab-confirmed fact.
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02 Periods 1 – 3
Hydrogen to argon — no exceptions yet
The first eighteen elements fill 1s through 3p in exactly the order the Aufbau principle predicts — every configuration here is
"textbook regular," with no stability-driven surprises.
Z SYM ELEMENT GROUND-STATE CONFIGURATION BLOCK
1 H Hydrogen 1s1 s
2 He Helium 1s2 s
3 Li Lithium [He] 2s1 s
4 Be Beryllium [He] 2s2 s
5 B Boron [He] 2s2 2p1 p
6 C Carbon [He] 2s2 2p2 p
7 N Nitrogen [He] 2s2 2p3 p
8 O Oxygen [He] 2s2 2p4 p
9 F Fluorine [He] 2s2 2p5 p
10 Ne Neon [He] 2s2 2p6 p
11 Na Sodium [Ne] 3s1 s
12 Mg Magnesium [Ne] 3s2 s
13 Al Aluminium [Ne] 3s2 3p1 p
14 Si Silicon [Ne] 3s2 3p2 p
15 P Phosphorus [Ne] 3s2 3p3 p
16 S Sulfur [Ne] 3s2 3p4 p
17 Cl Chlorine [Ne] 3s2 3p5 p
18 Ar Argon [Ne] 3s2 3p6 p
● SPOTLIGHT — WHY NO EXCEPTIONS YET
Exceptions only start appearing once d or f orbitals enter the picture (Period 4 onward) — with only s and p subshells in play, there's no competing near-degenerate
orbital for an electron to borrow stability from. That's about to change on the next page.
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03 Period 4
Potassium to krypton — where the first exceptions appear
The 3d subshell fills across this period. Watch for Cr and Cu — the first two elements in the whole periodic table to break the simple
(n + l) filling order, both reaching for the extra stability of a half-filled or fully-filled 3d subshell.
Z SYM ELEMENT GROUND-STATE CONFIGURATION BLOCK
19 K Potassium [Ar] 4s1 s
20 Ca Calcium [Ar] 4s2 s
21 Sc Scandium [Ar] 3d1 4s2 d
22 Ti Titanium [Ar] 3d2 4s2 d
23 V Vanadium [Ar] 3d3 4s2 d
24 Cr Chromium [Ar] 3d5 4s1 * d
25 Mn Manganese [Ar] 3d5 4s2 d
26 Fe Iron [Ar] 3d6 4s2 d
27 Co Cobalt [Ar] 3d7 4s2 d
28 Ni Nickel [Ar] 3d8 4s2 d
29 Cu Copper [Ar] 3d10 4s1 * d
30 Zn Zinc [Ar] 3d10 4s2 d
31 Ga Gallium [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p1 p
32 Ge Germanium [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p2 p
33 As Arsenic [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p3 p
34 Se Selenium [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p4 p
35 Br Bromine [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p5 p
36 Kr Krypton [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p6 p
✓ WORKED EXAMPLE — ION CONFIGURATIONS
For transition-metal cations, remove electrons from 4s before 3d — even though 4s filled first. Fe ([Ar] 3d⁶ 4s²) loses both 4s electrons first to become Fe²⁺ ([Ar] 3d⁶),
then a 3d electron to become Fe³⁺ ([Ar] 3d⁵) — a favourite JEE trap in reverse.
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04 Period 5
Rubidium to xenon — exceptions become the rule, not the anomaly
The 4d subshell is far more irregular than 3d was — six of the ten 4d transition metals (Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag) deviate from the
simple prediction, more exceptions than regular entries.
Z SYM ELEMENT GROUND-STATE CONFIGURATION BLOCK
37 Rb Rubidium [Kr] 5s1 s
38 Sr Strontium [Kr] 5s2 s
39 Y Yttrium [Kr] 4d1 5s2 d
40 Zr Zirconium [Kr] 4d2 5s2 d
41 Nb Niobium [Kr] 4d4 5s1 * d
42 Mo Molybdenum [Kr] 4d5 5s1 * d
43 Tc Technetium [Kr] 4d5 5s2 d
44 Ru Ruthenium [Kr] 4d7 5s1 * d
45 Rh Rhodium [Kr] 4d8 5s1 * d
46 Pd Palladium [Kr] 4d10 * d
47 Ag Silver [Kr] 4d10 5s1 * d
48 Cd Cadmium [Kr] 4d10 5s2 d
49 In Indium [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p1 p
50 Sn Tin [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p2 p
51 Sb Antimony [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p3 p
52 Te Tellurium [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p4 p
53 I Iodine [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p5 p
54 Xe Xenon [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p6 p
● SPOTLIGHT — PALLADIUM'S EMPTY S-SHELL
Pd is the only element in this reference with an empty outermost s-orbital in its ground state ([Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s⁰) — both 5s electrons move into 4d to complete it, something
no other 4d or 3d element does to this extreme.
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05 Period 6 — Part A
Caesium, barium, and the lanthanide series (La–Lu)
This is where the 4f subshell fills. La and Ce both deviate from simple prediction as the 4f orbitals first switch on, and Gd interrupts
the run at a half-filled 4f7 for the same reason Cr and Cu did.
Z SYM ELEMENT GROUND-STATE CONFIGURATION BLOCK
55 Cs Caesium [Xe] 6s1 s
56 Ba Barium [Xe] 6s2 s
57 La Lanthanum [Xe] 5d1 6s2 d
58 Ce Cerium [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2 f
59 Pr Praseodymium [Xe] 4f3 6s2 f
60 Nd Neodymium [Xe] 4f4 6s2 f
61 Pm Promethium [Xe] 4f5 6s2 f
62 Sm Samarium [Xe] 4f6 6s2 f
63 Eu Europium [Xe] 4f7 6s2 f
64 Gd Gadolinium [Xe] 4f7 5d1 6s2 f
65 Tb Terbium [Xe] 4f9 6s2 f
66 Dy Dysprosium [Xe] 4f10 6s2 f
67 Ho Holmium [Xe] 4f11 6s2 f
68 Er Erbium [Xe] 4f12 6s2 f
69 Tm Thulium [Xe] 4f13 6s2 f
70 Yb Ytterbium [Xe] 4f14 6s2 f
71 Lu Lutetium [Xe] 4f14 5d1 6s2 d
● SPOTLIGHT — CERIUM'S THREE-WAY SPLIT
Ce ([Xe] 4f¹ 5d¹ 6s²) is the only element on this page with three different subshells (f, d, s) each partially or fully occupied above its noble-gas core at once — a direct
result of how close 4f, 5d and 6s sit in energy right at the start of the lanthanides.
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05 Period 6 — Part B
Hafnium to radon — the 5d and 6p subshells
With the 4f subshell already full by Lu, this stretch fills 5d cleanly — until Pt and Au repeat the Cu/Ag pattern one row down.
Z SYM ELEMENT GROUND-STATE CONFIGURATION BLOCK
72 Hf Hafnium [Xe] 4f14 5d2 6s2 d
73 Ta Tantalum [Xe] 4f14 5d3 6s2 d
74 W Tungsten [Xe] 4f14 5d4 6s2 d
75 Re Rhenium [Xe] 4f14 5d5 6s2 d
76 Os Osmium [Xe] 4f14 5d6 6s2 d
77 Ir Iridium [Xe] 4f14 5d7 6s2 d
78 Pt Platinum [Xe] 4f14 5d9 6s1 * d
79 Au Gold [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s1 * d
80 Hg Mercury [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 d
81 Tl Thallium [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p1 p
82 Pb Lead [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p2 p
83 Bi Bismuth [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p3 p
84 Po Polonium [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4 p
85 At Astatine [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p5 p
86 Rn Radon [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 p
● SPOTLIGHT — THE INERT PAIR EFFECT
From Tl through Rn, the filled 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ core shields the 6s² pair poorly, pulling it close to the nucleus and making it reluctant to bond — the inert pair effect. It's why Tl⁺
and Pb²⁺ (not Tl³⁺ or Pb⁴⁺) are the common, stable oxidation states down this row.
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06 Period 7 — Part A
Francium, radium, and the actinide series (Ac–Lr)
The 5f subshell fills here — far less predictably than 4f did. Th, Pa, U, Np, Cm and Bk all mix 5f and 6d occupancy in ways that don't
follow a single clean rule; even NIST notes some configurations (Pa, U, Np) are better described by coupled terms than a simple
orbital list.
Z SYM ELEMENT GROUND-STATE CONFIGURATION BLOCK
87 Fr Francium [Rn] 7s1 s
88 Ra Radium [Rn] 7s2 s
89 Ac Actinium [Rn] 6d1 7s2 d
90 Th Thorium [Rn] 6d2 7s2 f
91 Pa Protactinium [Rn] 5f2 6d1 7s2 f
92 U Uranium [Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2 f
93 Np Neptunium [Rn] 5f4 6d1 7s2 f
94 Pu Plutonium [Rn] 5f6 7s2 f
95 Am Americium [Rn] 5f7 7s2 f
96 Cm Curium [Rn] 5f7 6d1 7s2 f
97 Bk Berkelium [Rn] 5f9 7s2 f
98 Cf Californium [Rn] 5f10 7s2 f
99 Es Einsteinium [Rn] 5f11 7s2 f
100 Fm Fermium [Rn] 5f12 7s2 f
101 Md Mendelevium [Rn] 5f13 7s2 f
102 No Nobelium [Rn] 5f14 7s2 f
103 Lr Lawrencium [Rn] 5f14 7s2 7p1 d
◆ SPOTLIGHT — WHY ACTINIDES ARE MESSIER THAN LANTHANIDES
5f orbitals extend further from the nucleus than 4f ones did, so they overlap and compete with 6d far more strongly — that's why the actinides mix f- and d-occupancy so
much more freely than the lanthanides ever did.
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06 Period 7 — Part B
Rutherfordium to oganesson — the superheavy, synthetic elements
Every configuration on this page is a theoretical prediction, not a measurement — see the caveat on Page 02. They are shown here
filling 6d and 7p in the straightforward predicted order, mirroring the period-6 transition series and p-block one row up.
Z SYM ELEMENT GROUND-STATE CONFIGURATION BLOCK
104 Rf Rutherfordium [Rn] 5f14 6d2 7s2 d
105 Db Dubnium [Rn] 5f14 6d3 7s2 d
106 Sg Seaborgium [Rn] 5f14 6d4 7s2 d
107 Bh Bohrium [Rn] 5f14 6d5 7s2 d
108 Hs Hassium [Rn] 5f14 6d6 7s2 d
109 Mt Meitnerium [Rn] 5f14 6d7 7s2 d
110 Ds Darmstadtium [Rn] 5f14 6d8 7s2 d
111 Rg Roentgenium [Rn] 5f14 6d9 7s2 d
112 Cn Copernicium [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 d
113 Nh Nihonium [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p1 p
114 Fl Flerovium [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p2 p
115 Mc Moscovium [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p3 p
116 Lv Livermorium [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p4 p
117 Ts Tennessine [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p5 p
118 Og Oganesson [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p6 p
▲ TRAP
Don't assume 6d/7p filling here must mirror 5d/6p exactly — relativistic effects grow stronger with nuclear charge, and several of these predictions (Ds, Rg, Cn in
particular) have competing proposed configurations in the literature. Treat this page as the current consensus estimate, not settled fact.
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07 Every Exception, One Table
The ten universally-taught deviations from simple Aufbau filling
These ten are unambiguous, well-established, and fair game anywhere on the JEE — each trades an "expected" configuration for a
half-filled or fully-filled d-subshell, which lowers overall energy through symmetry and exchange energy.
Z SYM EXPECTED ACTUAL WHY
4 2
24 Cr [core] 3d 4s [core] 3d5 4s1 Half-filled 3d5 beats a lone 4s pairing
29 Cu [core] 3d9 4s2 [core] 3d10 4s1 Fully-filled 3d10 beats a lone 4s pairing
41 Nb [core] 4d3 5s2 [core] 4d4 5s1 Extra exchange energy from more unpaired d e⁻
42 Mo [core] 4d4 5s2 [core] 4d5 5s1 Half-filled 4d5, mirrors Cr
44 Ru [core] 4d6 5s2 [core] 4d7 5s1 Extra exchange energy from more unpaired d e⁻
45 Rh 8 1 Extra exchange energy from more unpaired d e⁻
[core] 4d7 5s2 [core] 4d 5s
46 Pd [core] 4d8 5s2 [core] 4d10 5s0 Fully-filled 4d10, empties 5s entirely
47 Ag [core] 4d9 5s2 [core] 4d10 5s1 Fully-filled 4d10, mirrors Cu
78 Pt [core] 5d8 6s2 [core] 5d9 6s1 Extra exchange energy from more unpaired d e⁻
79 Au [core] 5d9 6s2 [core] 5d10 6s1 Fully-filled 5d10, mirrors Cu/Ag
◆ BEYOND THE CORE SYLLABUS — F-BLOCK & SUPERHEAVY IRREGULARITIES
La, Ce, Gd (and their actinide mirrors Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Cm, Bk) also deviate from straightforward 4f/5f filling — mainly because a 5d or 6d electron is energetically
preferred to a 14th/8th 4f or 5f electron in these specific cases. The 'expected vs actual' comparison gets genuinely debated here (it's part of why La vs Lu, and Ac vs Lr, is
an unresolved argument about where the d-block should start) — treat this as context, not something to memorise a fixed answer for.
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08 Writing Any Configuration From Scratch
A five-step method, plus the diagonal rule to lean on
1. Find the atomic number Z — that's your total electron count for a neutral atom.
2. Find the nearest preceding noble gas and write it in brackets as the core.
3. Fill remaining orbitals in (n + l) order: …4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p…
4. Cap each subshell at its maximum: s→2, p→6, d→10, f→14.
5. Check against the exceptions table (Page 10) — ten elements will need a correction.
FOR IONS FAST BLOCK CHECK
› Cation (+n): remove n electrons — always from the highest n shell first, not › Groups 1–2 → s-block
necessarily the last subshell written (e.g. Fe²⁺ loses 4s electrons before any
› Groups 13–18 → p-block
3d).
› Groups 3–12 → d-block
› Anion (−n): add n electrons, continuing the normal filling order.
› Detached rows below the table → f-block
CRACK CONCEPTS. OWN THE ARENA.
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