Name:
Electron Configuration Practice Worksheet
Brief Instruction
An electron configuration is a method of indicating the arrangement of electrons about a nucleus. A
typical electron configuration consists of numbers, letters, and superscripts with the following format:
1. A number indicates the energy level (The number is called the principal quantum number.).
2. A letter indicates the type of orbital; s, p, d, f. s type has 1 orbital, p type has 3 orbitals, d type has 5
orbitals, f type has 7 Each orbital can hold 2 electrons.
3.
2
A superscript indicates the number of electrons in the orbital. Example: ls means that there are two
electrons in the ‘s’ orbital of the first energy level. The element is helium.
Determine the element (assuming neutral) and number of valence ea. Element ____
1.
b. how many valence e- ___
a. Element ____
b. how many valence e- ___
2.
Fill in the orbital diagrams, write the e- configuration and draw the Bohr model (to right) for each
3. Nitrogen:____________________________________________
1s
2s
2p
3s
4. Sodium: _____________________________________________
1s
2s
2p
3s
3p
5. Nickel: ______________________________________________________
1s
2s
2p
3s
3p
4s
3d
6. Draw the orbital diagram for oxygen? (you must draw the boxes)
Write the complete ground state electron configurations for the following:
1) lithium ________________________________________
2) oxygen ________________________________________
3) calcium ________________________________________
4) titanium ________________________________________
5) rubidium ________________________________________
6) lead ________________________________________
7) erbium ________________________________________
Write the abbreviated ground state electron configurations for the following:
8) helium ________________________________________
9) nitrogen ________________________________________
10) chlorine ________________________________________
11) iron ________________________________________
12) zinc ________________________________________
13) barium ________________________________________
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14) polonium ________________________________________
Write the unabbreviated electron configurations of the following elements:
1)
sodium ________________________________________________
2)
iron
________________________________________________
3)
bromine
________________________________________________
4)
barium
________________________________________________
5)
neptunium
________________________________________________
Write the abbreviated electron configurations of the following elements:
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
cobalt
________________________________________________
silver
________________________________________________
tellurium
________________________________________________
radium ________________________________________________
lawrencium ________________________________________________
Determine what elements are denoted by the following electron configurations:
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
1s22s22p63s23p4 ____________________
1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s1 ____________________
[Kr] 5s24d105p3 ____________________
[Xe] 6s24f145d6 ____________________
[Rn] 7s25f11 ____________________
Determine which of the following electron configurations are not valid (write valid or not valid
next to each):
16)
1s22s22p63s23p64s24d104p5 ____________________
17)
1s22s22p63s33d5 ____________________
18)
[Ra] 7s25f8 ____________________
19)
[Kr] 5s24d105p5 ____________________
20)
[Xe] ____________________
Gaining and losing electrons:
An atom has the tendency to lose electrons (to another atom) or to gain electrons (from another atom)
in order to make the outer shell complete with eight electrons= The "Octet" Rule. Atoms with a complete
outer shell (eight electrons) are considered stable. Some atoms naturally have eight electrons in their
outer shell and are very stable. (He is the exception with 2 e – to complete its outer shell) The outer shell
is the highest numbered shell which has e- in it. Only s and p orbitals are part of the outer shell and
contain valence electrons.
21. Complete the following chart:
Element Atomic # of
Number of e- Number of e- Charge
Ion Electron
#
valence
probably lost left after
on Ion
Configuration (use
electrons or gained
loss or gain
abbreviated)
Ex: O
6
2 gained
8
2-
[He]2s22p6 (notice it now
looks like Ne with a full valence shell)
Na
S
Ca
Al
Cl
Ar