2011/11/09

All the nitty gritty of the electron world...

Monday and today we've been exploring the world of the electron a bit more.  The vast majority of chemistry is really a study of the electron: where are they, why are they there, where do they move, when do they move, how fast do they move.  On Monday, we looked at quantum numbers as a way to address electrons, but writing out explicit quantum numbers can be a bit ponderous, so today we looked at a shorthand way to express quantum numbers with electron configurations.  Electron configurations describe the energy levels and orbitals that are occupied (or might be occupied) in an atom or ion and provide a very useful tool for studying electrons.  Practice them.

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