what is the electron configuration of Iron (metal) ?
what is the 0rbital notation?
To find the electron configuration of Iron (Fe), we need to understand the arrangement of electrons in its atomic orbitals.
Step 1: Determine the atomic number of Iron (Fe).
Iron has an atomic number of 26. This means an iron atom has 26 protons in its nucleus.
Step 2: Write out the electron configuration by filling up the orbitals.
The electron configuration of Iron (Fe) can be determined by using the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons are filled into the lowest energy level orbitals first.
The electron configuration of Iron (Fe) is: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d6.
Let's break it down by orbitals:
- 1s2: This means there are 2 electrons in the 1s orbital.
- 2s2: This means there are 2 electrons in the 2s orbital.
- 2p6: This means there are 6 electrons in the 2p orbitals.
- 3s2: This means there are 2 electrons in the 3s orbital.
- 3p6: This means there are 6 electrons in the 3p orbitals.
- 4s2: This means there are 2 electrons in the 4s orbital.
- 3d6: This means there are 6 electrons in the 3d orbitals.
Now, let's move on to the orbital notation.
Orbital notation represents the electron arrangement in an atom using subshells and arrows to represent electrons. Each orbital is represented by a box, with an arrow indicating the direction of spin (up or down) of the electrons.
For Iron (Fe), the orbital notation can be represented as follows:
- 1s ↑↓
- 2s ↑↓
- 2p ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓
- 3s ↑↓
- 3p ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓
- 4s ↑↓
- 3d ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓
The upward-pointing (↑) and downward-pointing (↓) arrows represent the electrons' spins.