Orbitals and electronic configurationEdexcel International A Level Chemistry: Flashcards

What these 13 flashcards ask

Define an orbital.
What is the shape of an s orbital?
What is the shape of a p orbital?
How many electrons can the s, p and d sub-shells hold?
Which sub-shells are in the third shell?
In what order are the orbitals filled up to 3d?
State Hund's rule in words.
Why do electrons pair up only after each orbital has one electron?
Write the electronic configuration of chlorine.
Write the electronic configuration of Fe²⁺.
What are the configurations of chromium and copper?
Which electrons are removed first when a d-block element forms a positive ion?
Why is neon unreactive?

Exam questions on Orbitals and electronic configuration

A student is learning to write the electronic configurations of atoms and ions of elements in the first four periods.
State what is meant by the term orbital.2 marks
Iron (atomic number 26) is the most widely used transition metal. Iron(II) and iron(III) ions are found in haemoglobin and in rust.
Describe how the six 3d electrons of an Fe²⁺ ion are arranged in the 3d orbitals, and explain why they are arranged in this way.2 marks
A transition metal course covers elements from scandium to zinc. The atomic numbers are: vanadium 23, manganese 25 and zinc 30.
Write the full electronic configuration, using s, p, d notation, of (i) a vanadium atom, (ii) a V³⁺ ion and (iii) a Zn²⁺ ion.3 marks

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).