construct electron configuration schematic and then use it to diagram the electron configurations of K and S.

Question

construct electron configuration schematic and then use it to diagram the electron configurations of K and S.i only need for K and S 

Answer 1

Dear Neveen,

You may need it only for K and S now, but you'd better be able to do it ALL the way across the periodic table, because that's what you'll need for your test ....

This is the second question from you in two days ....

The easy way to do this is to draw your electron configuration schematic just the same as the shape of the periodic table, where it has elements. In real life, you would simply use the Periodic Table itself, since you will know your orbital letters very well by then.

By the way, do you know a neat way to remember the orbital type shapes (what you'll study next, if you haven't already)? s = sphere, p = propellor (2 blades, like on a small plane), d = double propellor (4 blades), f = fancy propellor (8 blades, in 2 sets of 4 angled front and back respectively). They don't all always look exactly like that, but that's good for a start, anyway. (That's before they start mixing and matching sometimes in molecules, which you'll study later as hybridization of orbitals.)

So, on your first row, you have boxes at the extreme left and right (where H and He are);

on your next row, you have 2 boxes at the left (where Li and Be are) and 6 boxes at the right (where B, C, N, O, F, and Ne are);

and so on.

Next: recognize which types of electrons are associated with each box. The first row is a little odd, they're both 1s; the second row has 2s for the boxes at the left, and 2p for all the boxes at the right; and so on. Where the transition metals are, those are d type electrons; remember that they're "delayed" on the periodic table, so that the 3d electrons only show up on the 4th row overall; also, the f type electrons, are in the two rows of 14 at the "bottom" of the table, they're only there because there's no space to fit them where they actually are, in the 6th and 7th rows overall, also, they're 2 rows "delayed", so they are the 4f and 5f showing up in the 6th and 7th rows overall.

So, last, to write an electron configuration for a particular element: 1) Find the element on the Periodic Table; 2) Start writing electrons with the first orbital (1s), put an "exponent" on = how many of those squares you have -- if it's an s, filled is exponent 2, if a filled p set, is exponent 6; if a filled d set, exponent is 10, and so on. When you get to the electron square corresponding to your element, you're done.

Note that if your element is in the middle of a set of the same orbital electron boxes, that last "exponent" number won't be one of the "filled" numbers, it will only be as many as counting from the start of that "set" to your element box!