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Chemistry vocabulary · Atoms and the Periodic Table

Electron configuration

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

nounCommon term

In chemistry, electron configuration means: The way an atom's electrons are arranged in shells and orbitals, written for example as 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹ for sodium.

In Turkish: elektron dizilimi, elektron konfigürasyonu

How it is used

Used to explain the periodic table, ion charges and bonding. You write the configuration, often in short form with a noble gas core, such as [Ne] 3s¹. Read '2p⁶' aloud as 'two p six'.

Example sentences

  1. Write the electron configuration of chlorine and of the chloride ion.

  2. Copper has an unusual electron configuration: [Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s¹.

Common collocations

  • write the electron configuration
  • ground-state electron configuration
  • noble gas configuration
  • electron configuration of
  • orbitalA region around the nucleus where an electron is likely to be found. Each one holds at most two electrons, and the main types are labeled s, p, d and f.
  • electronA tiny particle with a negative charge that moves around the nucleus of an atom. Chemical bonds and reactions are mostly about how these particles are shared or transferred.
  • valence electronAn electron in the outermost shell of an atom. These outer electrons take part in bonding and largely decide how an element reacts.
  • periodic tableA chart that arranges all known elements in order of atomic number, in rows called periods and columns called groups. Elements in the same group behave in similar ways.

More terms: Atoms and the Periodic Table

Practise with graded reading

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