Abbreviated Electron Configuration 1s1 2s 3s 4s 5s 6s 7s 2p 3p 4p

Name: ______________________________
Date: ___________________ Pd: ________
KEY
Abbreviated Electron Configuration
I. In the periodic table below, write the orbital that fills with electrons in each box:
1s1
1s2
2s
2p
3s
3p
4s
3d
4p
5s
4d
5p
6s
5d
6p
7s
6d
7p
4f
5f
II. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Why is the 1s orbital of hydrogen and helium split up?
Helium is technically an s-block element belonging to group 2, but it is more similar in reactivity (or
lack thereof) to the noble gases in group 18. It is placed there due to periodicity.
2. In which orbital are the outer electrons in all transition metals?
The transition metals make up the d-block, so they all end in ndx.
3. Why is the f-block located at the bottom of the periodic table?
Although it belongs between the s-block and the d-block, the periodic table would be too long if it
were placed there. It was moved to the bottom of the table to make it more manageable.
4. In which block would this hypothetical element be:
1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p66s24f145d106p67s25f146d107p68s25g186f147d108p3
This hypothetical element would belong to the p-block of the elements. More specifically, it would
reside directly underneath element #115.
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Since the electron configurations continue to build up off of the previous noble gas, we can abbreviate the electron
configurations:
1s22s22p6
1s22s22p6 3s23p1
Neon’s electron configuration:
Aluminum’s electron configuration:
Aluminum’s abbreviated electron configuration:
[Ne]3s23p1
To find out which noble gas to use, look at the atomic number of the element you are working with (e.g. Al = 13) and
count backwards until you hit a noble gas (e.g. Ne = 10).
To determine the orbitals following the noble gas, use the periodic table above. Remember, s & p orbitals start with
the period #, d’s are one less, and f’s are two less.
Don’t forget about the order! Remember that 4f fills after 6s and 5f fills after 7s! They’re on the bottom of the
Periodic Table and are easy to forget!
III. Write the abbreviated electron configuration for the following elements:
#
Element
Previous Noble Gas
Abbreviated Configuration
Ex
Tungsten (W)
Xenon
[Xe]6s24f145d4
1.
Carbon (C)
Helium
[He]2s22p2
2.
Sulfur (S)
Neon
[Ne]3s23p4
3.
Scandium (Sc)
Argon
[Ar]4s23d1
4.
Bromine (Br)
Argon
[Ar]4s23d104p5
5.
Strontium (Sr)
Krypton
[Kr]5s2
6.
Silver (Ag)
Krypton
[Kr]5s24d9
7.
Rhenium (Re)
Xenon
[Xe]6s24f145d5
8.
Bismuth (Bi)
Xenon
[Xe]6s24f145d106p3
9.
Francium (Fr)
Radon
[Rn]7s1
10.
Californium (Cf)
Radon
[Rn]7s25f10
11.
Meinterium (Mt)
Radon
[Rn]7s25f146d7
12
#118 (Uuo)
Radon
[Rn]7s25f146d107p6
13
#135 (Utp)
Uuo
[Uuo]8s25g15
10