What if the s subshell had 2 orbitals rather than 1? What would the electron configuration and orbital diagram of each of the following elements be with this new model?
Nitrogen
Magnesium
If the s subshell had 2 orbitals rather than 1, the electron configuration and orbital diagram of each of the following elements would be as follows:
1. Nitrogen (N)
With the new model, nitrogen would have an additional orbital available in the s subshell. The electron configuration of nitrogen would be: 1s² 2s² 2p³. This means that there would be 2 electrons in the 1s orbital, 2 electrons in the 2s orbital, and 3 electrons in the 2p orbitals. The orbital diagram for nitrogen would show two electron arrows in the 1s orbital, two electron arrows in the 2s orbital, and three electron arrows in the 2p orbitals.
2. Magnesium (Mg)
Similarly, magnesium would also have an additional orbital available in the s subshell. The electron configuration of magnesium would be: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s². This means that there would be 2 electrons in the 1s orbital, 2 electrons in the 2s orbital, 6 electrons in the 2p orbitals, and 2 electrons in the 3s orbital. The orbital diagram for magnesium would show two electron arrows in the 1s orbital, two electron arrows in the 2s orbital, six electron arrows in the 2p orbitals, and two electron arrows in the 3s orbital.