C1 - Electronic Structure

Question 1

What causes the whole of chemistry?

Answer 1

The fact that electrons occupy ‘shells’ around the nucleus

Question 2

State Electron shell rules

Answer 2

• Electron always occupy shells (sometimes called energy levels)
• The lowest energy levels are always filled first (ones closest to the nucleus)
• Only a certain number of electrons are allowed in each shell ( 1st:2 / 2nd:8 / 3rd:8 )
• Atoms are much happier when they have full electron shells - like the noble gases ( group 0)
• In most atoms,the outer shell is not full and this makes the atom want to react to fill it

Question 3

How are electronic configurations shown in diagrams?

Answer 3

The nucleus is in the middle and the circles orbiting the nucleus are the electrons

Question 4

How do you calculate the electronic structure of any atom with the first 20 elements with the elements atomic number?

Answer 4

The atomic number tells you the amount of protons and electrons there are in an element and you can follow the ( electron shell rules 2,8,8) to find out its structure