GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1

MODULE 7 & 8
Quantum Numbers
Electronics
C o n fi g u r a t i o n O r b i t a l
Diagram
 M o s t Essential L e a r n i n g
Competency
After going through this module, you are expected to:
A. use quantum numbers to describe an electron in an atom
(STEM_GC11ESIIa-b-54);
B. determine the magnetic property of the atom based on
its electronic configuration (STEM_GC11ESIIa-b-57);
C. draw an orbital diagram to represent the electronic
configuration of atoms (STEM_GC11ESIIa-b-58).
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the module, you are expected to:
1) define quantum number and electron configuration;
2) identify the types of quantum numbers;
3) follow the steps in writing the electron configuration;
4) write the correct electron configurations of the given
elements.
5) define orbital diagram and electron-dot structure;
6) determine the electron configuration of an atom to represent
its orbital diagram;
QUANTU
M
NUMBERS
 QUANTUM
NUMBERS
-Characterization of the orbital that an electron
occupies

Describes the following:

 distance from the nucleus

 shape

 position with respect to the 3-dimensional axis

 direction of spin of the electron

 WHAT A R E
ORBITALS?
 Area to that an electron pair can reside in
 There are four main shapes for orbitals
 Orbitals can be found in shells which are main
energy levels
 aka the rings or orbits around a nucleus
 Quantum
Numbers
 Scientists use quantum number

to describe the probable region

for finding an electron
 There are 4 quantum numbers.
 Quantum
Numbers
 Principal quantum number (n) - describes the SIZE of

the orbital or ENERGY LEVEL of the atom.

 Angular quantum number (l ) or sublevels -
describes the SHAPE of the orbital.
 Magnetic quantum number (m) - describes an
orbital's ORIENTATION in space.
 Spin quantum number (s) - describes the SPIN or
direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) in which
an electron spins.
 QUANTUM
NUMBERS
 The shape, size, and energy of each orbital is a function of
4 quantum numbers which describe the location of an
electron within an atom or ion

n ---> energy level

l ---> sublevel ,shape of orbital
m ---> designates the rotation of the orbital
s ---> spin of the electron (clockwise or counterclockwise)
P R I N C I PA L Q U A N T U M N U M B E R
(n)
 Represents the distance

of an electron from the

nucleus & the main
energy level of the
electron.
 n is numerically
represented by positive
integers.
 It can have a value of
1-7.
 Pr i n c i p l e Q u a n t u m N u m b e r
(n) o r E n e rg y Level
 describes how far away from the nucleus the
electron shellor level under consideration is
 the lower the number, the closer the energy level is
to the atom's nucleus and less energy
 maximum # of electrons that can fit in an energy
level is given by formula 2n2
 n2 = # of orbitals in a shell Shell # #e-
1 2
 2 n2 = # of electrons in a 2 8
shell
3 18
4 32
 Each orbital can house an
electron pair! 5 50
 n
 Principal Quantum Number
 Represents main energy level of electron

 Maximum # of electrons in an energy level

= 2n2

 Example: What is the maximum number

of electrons that can be in the 5th main
energy level?
 2(52)
 Electrons in 7th energy level?
 A N G U L A R Q U A N T U M N U M B E R (l)
o r Sub-level
 determines the shape of the
orbital that the electron is found in. l Letter
 they are numbered but are also
given letters referring to the
0 s
orbital type
1 p

l=0 refers to the s-orbitals
2 d

p-orbitals
l=1 refers to the
3 f

l=2 refers to the d-orbitals

l=3 refers to the f-orbitals
 Sh a p e
s
 s orbital is spherical

 p orbital looks like a dumbell

 d orbitals look like 2 dumbells

 f orbitals look like flowers

 Electronic Structure
n # of # e- in n Sublevel # e- in each
Sublevel (2n2) Names sublevel
1 1 2 s S=2

2 2 8 s,p S=2, p=6

3 3 18 s,p,d S=2, p=6,

d=10
4 4 32 s,p,d,f S=2, p=6,
d=10, f=14
 MAGNETIC
QUANTUM
NUMBER
 the third of a set (m)
of quantum numbers
 tells us how many orbitals there are of a particular
type and their orientation in space
 This defines the “orbital” of the electron

 only two electrons can fit in an orbital

 Represents the 3-dimensional orientation of an

orbital
 MAGNETIC QUANTUM NUMBER

Number of m values determines the
number of orbitals in a subshell
(between –l and +l)
Maximum # of
l # orbitals in the electrons in
Possible values of
Subshell (2l + 1) Orbital
m
0 (s) 0 1 2
1 (p) -1,0,+1 3
6
2 (d) -2,-1,0,+1,+2 5
10
3 (f) -3,-2,- 7
14
1,0,+1,+2,+3
26
 S – orbitals
only holds two electrons
 P – orbitals
holds up to six electrons
P - orbitals

[Link]
[Link]
 D – orbitals
holds up to 10 electrons
 F – orbitals
holds up to 14 electrons
How many 2p orbitals are there in an
atom?
n=2
2p If l = 1, then ml = -1, 0, or +1
3
orbitals
l=1

How many electrons can be placed in

the 3d subshell?
n= If l = 2, then m = -2, -1, 0, +1, or +2
l
3
3d 5 orbitals which can hold a total of
10 e-
l= 7.
 SPIN Q U A N T U M N U M B E R
(s)
 the fourth of a set of quantum numbers
 number specifying the direction of the

spin of an electron around its own

axis.
 only two electrons of opposite spin may

occupy an orbit (Pauli Exclusion Principle)

 the only possible values of a spin

quantum number are +1/2 or -1/2.

A Picture of the Spinning Electron
 Principle
Quantum # (n)
LEVEL/SIZE 1 2 3 4

Angular Quantum
s s p s p d s p d f
# (l)
ORBITAL SHAPE
or SUBLEVEL

Magnetic
Quantum # (m) 1 1 3 1 3 5 1 3 5 7
AXIS/
ORIENTATION
or ORBITALS
1 orbital 4 total 9 total orbitals 16 total orbitals
orbitals

Spin Quantum #
(s)
DIRECTION OF
ELECTRON SPIN

2 e- 8 e- 18 e- 32 e-
 Table 3-6b Orbitals and Electron Capacity of the First Four Principal Energy Levels

Maximum
Number of Number of
Principle energy number of
Type of sublevel orbitals per orbitals per
level (n) electrons
type level(n2)
(2n2)
1 s 1 1 2
s 1
2 4 8
p 3
s 1
3 p 3 9 18
d 5
s 1
p 3
4 16 32
d 5
f 7
Remember….
MAX NUMBER OF
ELECTRONS IN AN ENERGY
LEVEL
ENERGY LEVEL MAX # OF ELECTRONS

1 2
2 8
3 18
4 32
5 50
 How d o we determine
QN’s?
Use 3 main rules and determine the electron
configuration!

A u f b a u Pr i n c i p l e
H u n d ’ s Rule
Pauli’s Exclusion
Pr i n c i p l e
 Aufbau Principle

E l e c t ro n s m u s t e n t e r t h e l o w e s t
shell a n d o r b i t a l fi r s t !
 Hund’s Rule

 o r b i t a l s o f e q u a l e n e r g y will b e
occupied by one electron b e f o re a
second one may enter

 No one can have seconds until

e v e r y o n e h a s g o n e t h r o u g h once!!
 Pauli’s Exclusion Principle

 No 2 electrons in t h e same o r b i t a l
can have the same 4 Quantum
Numbers!!

 D o n ’ t w o r r y b e c a u s e e a c h will
have an
o p p o s i t e spin!!
Electron
Configuration
 Electron
E l e c t ro n Configuration
c o n fi g u r a t i o n is a
shorthand
notation f o r describing the
arrangement o f the
e l e c t r o n s a b o u t t h e nucleus.

General format using the quantum numbers:

n = principal quantum number
l = orbital quantum number
e- = number of electrons
 Electron
Configuration
A detailed way of showing the order in
which electrons fill in around the nucleus
 ELECTRON CONFIGURATION (RULES)

AUFBAU PRINCIPLE
Electrons enter atomic
orbitals of lower energy
first

51
 ELECTRON CONFIGURATION (RULES)

PAULI EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE

 No two electrons can have the same set of quantum

numbers
 An atomic orbital contains a maximum of two electrons

with opposite spin (last quantum # will be different)

(must have one up arrow & one down arrow)

52
 ELECTRON CONFIGURATION (RULES)

HUND’S RULE
 Orbitals of equal energy are each occupied by one
electron before any orbital is occupied by a second
electron
 Electrons in singly occupied orbitals must have the

same spins (show all orbitals even if empty)

53
 1s
# of e- in
sub
level

Energy Level
2 Sub Level
(s, p, d,
f)
MNEMONIC
DEVICE
 Order of orbitals (filling) in multi-electron atom

1s < 2s < 2p < 3s < 3p < 4s < 3d < 4p < 5s < 4d < 5p <
Diagonal
Rule Examples:
• Hydrogen
– 1 electron
– 1s1
• Lithium
– 3 electrons
– 1s2 2s1
• Nitrogen
– 7 electrons
– 1s2 2s2 2p3
• Electron Configurations
– Describes the electron
distribution within an atom
• Longhand electron configuration
– Nitrogen 1s2 2s2 2p3
• Orbital Notation
– Uses arrows to represent electrons
• Examples:
– Hydrogen 1s1

1s
 Nitroge
• 1s2 2s2 2p3
n

1s 2s
2p
• Hund’s Rule
• Orbitals of equal energy are each occupied
by one electron before any orbital is
occupied by a second electron (spinning in
opposite direction)
• Pauli Exclusion Principle
• No two electrons in the same atom can have
the
What is the electron configuration of Mg?
Mg 12 electrons
1s < 2s < 2p < 3s < 3p < 4s
1s22s22p63s2 2 + 2 + 6 + 2 = 12
electrons
Abbreviated as [Ne]3s2 [Ne]
1s22s22p6

What
Cl 17is the electron configuration
1s < 2s < 2p < 3sof<Cl?
3p <
electrons 4s
1s22s22p63s23 2 + 2 + 6 + 2 + 5 = 17
p5 electrons
 Three Manners to Convey How Electrons are
Arranged

1. Electron Configuration ; List Orbitals and Number of

Electrons in Each
(1s22s22p63s2…)
2. Quantum Numbers (2,0,0,+1/2)
3. Orbital Diagrams; List Orbitals and show location of
electrons and their spin

1s 2s 2p
 Electron Configuration
 Shows the arrangement of electrons in an
atom.
Orbital
Diagram
 Orbital Diagram
 Another way of writing the electron
configuration.
 An orbital is a potential space for an electron.
 Atoms can have many potential orbitals.
 Orbitals are represented by boxes grouped by
sublevel with small arrows indicating the
electrons.
 Pauli Exclusion Principle
 An atomic orbital can hold a maximum of 2
electrons and those 2 electrons must have
opposite spins.
 An electron is represented by an arrow.
 Spin is represented by the arrow facing up or
down.
 Orbital
Diagrams
Pauli exclusion principle - no two electrons in an atom
can have the same four quantum numbers.

The most stable arrangement of electrons in

subshells is the one with the greatest number
of parallel spins (Hund’s rule)
or maximum # of unpaired electrons.
 Orbital Diagrams
Carbon; 6 electrons
Electron Configuration; 1s22s22p2
Orbital Diagram

1s 2s 2p
 Orbital Diagrams
Oxygen; 8 electrons
Electron Configuration; 1s22s22p4
Orbital Diagram

1s 2s 2p
 So, i f y o u h a d t h e o r b i t a l fi l l i n g
s e qu enc e, c a n y o u fi l l i n t h e
e l e c t ro n s ?
1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p

Now, let’s take a look at Cl. Cl has 17 electrons.

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 Electron

Configuration
3p5

Orbital
diagram
Electron Configuration
and
Orbital Diagrams
 Hydrogen
 Electron Configuration:
 Hydrogen can only fill the first Principal Energy Level
labeled “1”.
 Hydrogen can only fill the first orbital labeled “s”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Hydrogen has an atomic number of 1, so it has 1
electron available to place in the orbital diagram.
 Helium
 Electron Configuration:
 Helium can only fill the first Principal Energy Level
labeled “1”.
 Helium can only fill the first sublevel labeled “s”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Helium has an atomic number of 2, so it has 2
electrons available to place in the orbital
diagram.
 Aufbau Principle
 Electrons
are placed
in the
lowest
energy
level first.
 Lithium
 Electron Configuration:
 Lithium can fill the first Principal Energy Level labeled
“1” and the second PEL labeled “2”.
 Lithium can only fill the first sublevel labeled “s”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Lithium has an atomic number of 3, so it has 3 electrons
available to place in the orbital diagram.
 Beryllium
 Electron Configuration:
 Beryllium can fill the first Principal Energy Level labeled
“1” and the second PEL labeled “2”.
 Beryllium can only fill the first sublevel labeled “s”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Beryllium has an atomic number of 4, so it has 4
electrons available to place in the orbital diagram.

Be: 1s22s2
 Boron
 Electron Configuration:
 Boron can fill the first Principal Energy Level labeled “1”
and the second PEL labeled “2”.
 Boron can fill the first sublevel labeled “s” and the
second sublevel labeled “p”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Boron has an atomic number of 5, so it has 5 electrons
available to place in the orbital diagram.

B: 1s22s22p1
 Hund’s Rule
 When filling sublevels other than s, electrons are
placed in individual orbitals first, before they are
paired up.
 They must be placed singly before doubly.
 Carbon
 Electron Configuration:
 Carbon can fill the first Principal Energy Level labeled “1”
and the second PEL labeled “2”.
 Carbon can fill the first sublevel labeled “s” and the second
sublevel labeled “p”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Carbon has an atomic number of 6, so it has 6 electrons
available to place in the orbital diagram.

C: 1s22s22p2
 Nitrogen
 Electron Configuration:
 Nitrogen can fill the first Principal Energy Level labeled
“1” and the second PEL labeled “2”.
 Nitrogen can fill the first sublevel labeled “s” and
the second sublevel labeled “p”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7, so it has 7
electrons available to place in the orbital
diagram.

N: 1s22s22p3
 Oxygen
 Electron Configuration:
 Oxygen can fill the first Principal Energy Level labeled “1”
and the second PEL labeled “2”.
 Oxygen can fill the first sublevel labeled “s” and the second
sublevel labeled “p”.
 Orbital Diagram
 Oxygen has an atomic number of 8, so it has 8 electrons
available to place in the orbital diagram.

O: 1s22s22p4
 Organization of Orbitals
• The periodic table has organized the orbitals.
• The “s”
orbitals
• The “p”
orbitals
• The “d”
orbitals
• The “f”
orbitals
 Organization of Orbitals
• The first row is Principal Energy Level 1.
• The second row is Principal Energy Level 2.
• Principal
Energy Level
3 begins in
the 3rd row.
• Principal
Energy Level 4 begins
in the 4th row.
Periodic table
d (n - 1)
arrangement
s p
1
2(n) (n)
3
4
5
6
7

• the quantum theory helps to explain the

structure of the periodic table.
• n - 1 indicates that the d subshell in
period 4 actually starts at 3 (4 - 1 =
3).
 Sublevels
 The “ s ” sublevel c a n h o l d 2 e l e c t ro n s .
 The “ p ” sublevel c a n h o l d 6 e l e c t ro n s .
 2 electrons in each o f t h e 3 o r b i t a l s

(x, y, z)
 The “ d ” sublevel c a n h o l d 10

e l e c t ro n s .
 2 electrons in each o f t h e 5

orbitals.
 The “ f ” sublevel c a n h o l d 14
Electron Configuration &
Quantum Numbers n =2

N: 1s22s22p3 fff
ml=+1
l=1
s=+1/
fg 2
n l=
=1 0 ml=0
s =-
1/2
85
 Practice Problems
• Write the electron configuration and the orbital diagram for
Fluorine.
 Practice Problems
• Write the electron configuration and the orbital diagram for
Magnesium.
 Practice Problems
• Write the electron configuration and the orbital diagram for
Sulfur.
 Practice Problems
• Write the electron configuration and the orbital diagram for
Potassium.
 Noble Gas Configuration
• Is an abbreviated version of electron configuration.
• Uses the noble gas that precedes the element, then the
electron configuration that comes after the noble gas.
• Used for elements with larger atomic numbers.
• Example:

Nitrogen
 Noble Gas Configuration
• Is important because it shows the valence
electrons present in an atom.

• Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7. It

has 7 total electrons. If
you look at the electron configuration, you
can count 7 electrons.
 Noble Gas Configuration
• But if you look at the Noble Gas Configuration,
you can count 5 electrons.

• These 5 electrons are the valence electrons,

the electrons found in the outermost
energy level. These are the electrons
available for bonding.
 Valence Electrons
• The periodic table organizes valence electrons.
• The number
of valence
electrons
are written
above each
column in
the diagram.
 Practice Problems
• Write the noble gas configuration and the orbital diagram for
Iron.
 Practice Problems
• Write the noble gas configuration and the orbital diagram for
Tin.