The noble has configuration for Ta is [Xe] 6s2 4f14 5d3
does the order in which i arrange the principle energy levels matter when i write the configuration?
Like should it be
[Xe] 5d3 6s2 4f14
Actually I don't think it makes any difference; however, I like to write it as [Xe] 4f14 5d3 6s2 for this shows a plausible oxidation state of +5.
Yes, the order in which you arrange the principle energy levels does matter when writing the electron configuration. The electron configuration is a way to represent the arrangement of electrons in an atom or ion.
According to the Aufbau principle, electrons fill orbitals in order of increasing energy. The principle energy levels (often represented by the numbers 1, 2, 3, etc.) correspond to the main shells or energy levels of an atom. Each principal energy level contains one or more subshells, which in turn contain orbitals.
When writing the electron configuration, you should start by filling the lowest energy level first, and then move to higher energy levels. Within each energy level, the subshells are ordered by energy as well.
In the case of the given example, the noble gas configuration for Ta is [Xe] 6s2 4f14 5d3. The noble gas configuration [Xe] represents the filled energy levels of the noble gas xenon, which comes before tantalum (Ta) in the periodic table. The 6s2 4f14 5d3 part indicates that after xenon, the electrons fill the 6s subshell (2 electrons), then the 4f subshell (14 electrons), and finally the 5d subshell (3 electrons).
So, it would not be correct to write the configuration as [Xe] 5d3 6s2 4f14 because it does not follow the correct order of filling the energy levels according to the Aufbau principle.