Orbital Diagrams
11th Grade · Chemistry · 60 min
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Learning Objective
I can draw orbital diagrams to represent the electron configurations of elements, including transition metals which can have multiple oxidation states.
- 1
An orbital filling diagram is a representation of where electrons are around the nucleus of an atom.
- 2
The atomic number of an element tells you the number of protons and, in a neutral atom, the number of electrons.
- 3
When drawing orbital diagrams, electrons are added to orbitals following specific rules: s orbitals hold up to 2 electrons, p orbitals hold up to 6 electrons, and d orbitals hold up to 10 electrons.
