Question

Describe the 3 rules for electron configuration and orbital diagrams. Give the names of the rules/principles and a brief description

Answer 1

The three rules are the Aufbau Principle, Hund's Rule, and the Pauli Exclusion Principle; they guide the filling of orbitals to achieve the most stable electron configuration.

Step-by-step explanation:

The three rules for electron configuration and orbital diagrams are:

1. Aufbau Principle: Electrons fill the lowest energy orbitals first, starting with the 1s orbital, followed by 2s, then 2p, and so on, following the order of increasing energy levels.
   
2. Hund's Rule: When electrons occupy orbitals of equal energy (degenerate orbitals), one electron enters each orbital until all orbitals contain one electron with parallel spins before pairing up.
   
3. Pauli Exclusion Principle: No two electrons in the same atom can have identical sets of four quantum numbers, which means that two electrons in the same orbital must have opposite spins.

These principles help determine the most stable electron arrangements in an atom.