Draw the electronic configuration for a neutral atom of scandium
With boxes
The electronic configuration for a neutral atom of scandium (Sc) is:
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^1
Sure! The atomic number of scandium (Sc) is 21. To determine the electronic configuration, we distribute the electrons into the available atomic orbitals following the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill the lowest energy orbitals first. Here is the electronic configuration for a neutral atom of scandium:
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹
To represent this configuration using boxes, we can use the following diagram:
1s: ──┐
│
2s: ──┐│
││
2p: ──┘│
││
3s: ──┐│
││
3p: ──┘│
│
4s: ───┘
│
3d: ────┐
│
└───┐
To draw the electronic configuration for a neutral atom of scandium, we first need to determine the atomic number of scandium, which can be found on the periodic table.
The atomic number of scandium (Sc) is 21. This means that a neutral atom of scandium will have 21 electrons distributed across different energy levels or orbitals.
To represent these electrons, we can use boxes to represent individual orbitals.
Here is the step-by-step process to draw the electronic configuration of scandium:
Step 1: Determine the filling order of orbitals.
The filling order of orbitals in an atom follows the Aufbau principle, which states that lower energy orbitals are filled before higher energy ones. The order of filling orbitals is given as follows (from lowest to highest energy):
1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p, and so on.
Step 2: Fill the orbitals with electrons.
Starting with the lowest energy level, fill the orbitals with electrons according to the electron configuration until you reach the atomic number.
The electronic configuration for a neutral atom of scandium (Sc) is:
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹
Explanation:
- The 1s orbital can hold up to 2 electrons. In scandium, two electrons fill the 1s orbital.
- The 2s orbital can also hold up to 2 electrons. In scandium, two electrons fill the 2s orbital.
- The 2p orbital can hold up to 6 electrons. In scandium, six electrons fill the 2p orbital.
- The 3s orbital can hold up to 2 electrons. In scandium, two electrons fill the 3s orbital.
- The 3p orbital can also hold up to 6 electrons. In scandium, six electrons fill the 3p orbital.
- The 4s orbital can hold up to 2 electrons. In scandium, two electrons fill the 4s orbital.
- The 3d orbital can hold up to 10 electrons. In scandium, only one electron fills the 3d orbital.
Therefore, the electron configuration for a neutral atom of scandium is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹.