Electrons Flashcards
Organization of the Electron Cloud
Principal Energy Level (P.E.L.)
Sublevels
Orbitals
Electrons
Different spins
Pauli Exclusion Principle
No two electrons can have the same location
No two electrons can have the same set of quantum numbers (electrons adress)
(n, L, m, s)
n = P.E.L.
L = Sublevel
m = Orbital
s = Spin
P.E.L. (n)
Main energy levels
Distance from the nucleus
Labeled with numbers
Ex. n=1, n=2….n=7
Further the distance the higher the energy
Sublevels (L)
The # of sublevels is equal to the P.E.L. number
Ex. 1st P.E.L. has 1 sublevel, etc
Max of 4 sublevels
Labeled with letters (s, p, d, f)
s Sublevel
Lowest in energy
Has 1 orbital (sphere shaped)
Holds up to 2 electrons
p Sublevel
Higher in energy than s sublevel
Has 3 orbitals (each is dumbbell shaped)
Holds up to 6 electrons
d Sublevel
Higher in energy than both s and p sublevels
Has 5 orbitals (each is a complex and different shape)
Holds up to 10 electrons
f Sublevel
Highest in energy
Has 7 orbitals (each have complex shape)
Holds up to 14 electrons
Only used in P.E.L. #4-7
Aufbau Principle
Lowest energy sublevel is the 1st to be filled with orbitals
1st P.E.L.
s sublevel
1 orbital
2 electrons
2nd P.E.L.
s, and p sublevels
1, and 3 orbitals (4 overall)
2, and 6 electrons (8 overall)
3rd P.E.L.
s, p, and d sublevels
1, 3, and 5 orbitals (9 overall)
2, 6, and 10 electrons (18 overall)
4th P.E.L.
s, p, d, and f sublevels
1, 3, 5, and 7 orbitals (16 overall)
2, 6, 10, and 14 electrons (32 overall)
Electron Configurations
Sorting ALL the sublevels and electrons of an atom from lowest energy to highest energy.
Valence Electrons
Outermost electrons (located in the LAST energy shell)
Ex. Carbon (C) = 1s^2 2s^2 2p^2
|______|—> valence energy level
Valence electron amount measured by the last two in the electron configuration (2s^2 2p^2) In the ex. above there are 4 valence electrons
Octet Rule
ALL* elements want 8 valence electrons
Elements with 8 valence electrons are the most stable
- there are only 4 elements that do not want 8 valence electrons (hydrogen, beryllium, helium, boron)
Hund’s Rule
Fill empty orbitals first
Excited / Base States
- Electrons absorb energy (heat OR electricity) and jump to a higher energy level AWAY from the nucleus
- Electrons that have moved to higher energy levels are described as “Excited State Electrons”
- These unstable electrons can not maintain the excited state and immediately return to the lowest energy level possible and is called “The Base State”
When an electron returns to its base state it will emit or give off the same amount of energy it had absorbed, and an Electromagnetic Wave (E.M. Wave) is produced
Wavelength and Frequency
Wavelength -
Distance from crest -> crest, OR trough -> trough
Measured in meters OR nanometers
Frequency -
Symbol = f
Measured in hertz (Hz), the # of wavelengths that pass a given point in a unit of time
Relationship -
Shorter the wavelength = higher the frequency (inverse)
Higher the frequency = higher the energy (direct)
Electromagnetic Spectrum
A family of waves all caused by vibrations of electrons
Energy of a Wave
E = H * f
H = Planck’s constant (6.63 * 10^-34 J/s)
Measured in joules (J)
Spectroscopy
“The study of the emission of electromagnetic waves”
Continuous Spectrum
All wavelengths inside a certain range
Make up the visible light spectrum (ROYGBIV)
Bright Line Spectrum
Various bright colors representing individual wavelengths
