Table of contents

1. A Review of General Chemistry5h 5m
2. Molecular Representations1h 14m
3. Acids and Bases2h 46m
4. Alkanes and Cycloalkanes4h 17m
5. Chirality3h 39m
6. Thermodynamics and Kinetics1h 22m
7. Substitution Reactions1h 48m
8. Elimination Reactions2h 30m
9. Alkenes and Alkynes2h 9m
10. Addition Reactions3h 19m
11. Radical Reactions1h 58m
12. Alcohols, Ethers, Epoxides and Thiols2h 42m
13. Alcohols and Carbonyl Compounds2h 17m
14. Synthetic Techniques1h 26m
15. Analytical Techniques:IR, NMR, Mass Spect7h 3m
16. Conjugated Systems6h 13m
17. Ultraviolet Spectroscopy51m
18. Aromaticity2h 34m
19. Reactions of Aromatics: EAS and Beyond5h 1m
20. Phenols55m
21. Aldehydes and Ketones: Nucleophilic Addition4h 56m
22. Carboxylic Acid Derivatives: NAS2h 51m
23. The Chemistry of Thioesters, Phophate Ester and Phosphate Anhydrides1h 10m
24. Enolate Chemistry: Reactions at the Alpha-Carbon1h 53m
25. Condensation Chemistry2h 9m
26. Amines1h 43m
27. Heterocycles2h 0m
28. Carbohydrates5h 53m
29. Amino Acids4h 20m
30. Peptides and Proteins2h 42m
31. Catalysis in Organic Reactions1h 30m
32. Lipids 2h 50m
33. The Organic Chemistry of Metabolic Pathways2h 52m
34. Nucleic Acids1h 32m
35. Transition Metals6h 14m
36. Synthetic Polymers1h 49m

1. A Review of General Chemistry

Atomic Structure

Organic Chemistry

1. A Review of General Chemistry

Atomic Structure

Previous problemNext problem

4:03 minutes

Problem 10a

Textbook Question

A chemistry student drew the following incorrect electron configuration for carbon. (a) Correct the diagram.

Verified step by step guidance

Understand the electron configuration of carbon: Carbon has an atomic number of 6, meaning it has 6 electrons. These electrons are distributed in orbitals according to the Aufbau principle, Hund's rule, and the Pauli exclusion principle.

Recall the order of orbital filling: Electrons fill orbitals in the order of increasing energy levels. For carbon, the order is 1s, 2s, and then 2p. The correct configuration should be written as:

1s^2 2s^2 2p^2

Apply Hund's rule for the 2p orbitals: When filling the 2p orbitals, electrons are placed in separate orbitals with parallel spins before pairing. This minimizes electron repulsion and stabilizes the atom.

Correct the diagram: Ensure that the 1s and 2s orbitals are fully filled with two electrons each, and the 2p orbitals have one electron in two separate orbitals with parallel spins.

Double-check the corrected diagram: Verify that the total number of electrons is 6, and that the configuration adheres to the principles of electron distribution (Aufbau principle, Hund's rule, and Pauli exclusion principle).

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above

Video duration:

Play a video:

Was this helpful?

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electron Configuration

Electron configuration describes the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals. For carbon, which has six electrons, the correct configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p². This notation indicates that two electrons occupy the 1s orbital, two occupy the 2s orbital, and two occupy the 2p orbitals, reflecting the principles of quantum mechanics.

Aufbau Principle

The Aufbau principle states that electrons fill atomic orbitals in order of increasing energy levels, starting from the lowest. This means that before electrons can occupy higher energy orbitals, such as 2p, the lower energy orbitals (1s and 2s) must be filled first. Understanding this principle is crucial for accurately determining the electron configuration of an element.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

The Pauli Exclusion Principle asserts that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers. This principle explains why each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons with opposite spins. It is essential for understanding how electrons are arranged in orbitals and helps prevent incorrect configurations.

Watch next

Master The difference between atomic numbers and atomic mass. with a bite sized video explanation from Johnny

Start learning

Related Videos

Related Practice

Textbook Question

Give the electron configuration of the following elements.

Textbook Question

How many electrons does an atom of each of the following elements need to lose to achieve a noble gas configuration? By losing that many electrons, which noble gas configuration is achieved?

(a) Beryllium

Textbook Question

How many electrons does an atom of each of the following elements need to gain to achieve a noble gas configuration? By gaining that many electrons, which noble gas configuration is achieved?

(a) Oxygen

Textbook Question

How many electrons does an atom of each of the following elements need to gain to achieve a noble gas configuration? By gaining that many electrons, which noble gas configuration is achieved?

Textbook Question

Would you expect electrons in the 2s or 3s orbital to be more reactive? Why?

Textbook Question

What is the ground state electron configuration of carbon? How many bonds does carbon usually form?

Textbook Question

In the periodic table, the number 79.904 appears under the element bromine. What is the significance of this number?

Textbook Question

Choose the larger atom in each pair.

(b) O or F

Show more practices

Download the Mobile app

Privacy

Do not sell my personal information

Accessibility

Patent notice

Sitemap