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The Aufbau Process

The Aufbau process describes how electrons fill atomic orbitals according to increasing principal energy levels and subshells. Electrons fill orbitals to minimize the atom's energy. The order is: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, etc. There are some exceptions for transition metals and heavier elements where electrons fill different subshells. The Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons can have the same four quantum numbers. Hund's rule states that electrons first fill all degenerate orbitals before pairing up.

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51 views3 pages

The Aufbau Process

The Aufbau process describes how electrons fill atomic orbitals according to increasing principal energy levels and subshells. Electrons fill orbitals to minimize the atom's energy. The order is: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, etc. There are some exceptions for transition metals and heavier elements where electrons fill different subshells. The Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons can have the same four quantum numbers. Hund's rule states that electrons first fill all degenerate orbitals before pairing up.

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akeemoluwadamilare623
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The Aufbau Process

Aufbau comes from the German word "Aufbauen" which means "to build". When writing electron
configurations, we are building up electron orbitals as we proceed from atom to atom. As we write the electron
configuration for an atom, we will fill the orbitals in order of increasing atomic number. However, there are
some exceptions to this rule as stated later.

The first thing to keep in mind is that electrons fill orbitals in a way to minimize the energy of the atom. This
would mean that the electrons in an atom would fill the principal energy levels in order of increasing energy
(the electrons are getting farther from the nucleus). The order of levels filled would look like this:

1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, and 7p

One way to remember this pattern, probably the easiest, is to refer to the periodic table and remember where
each orbital block falls to logically deduce this pattern. Another way is to make a table like the one below and
use vertical lines to determine which subshells correspond to each other.

Example

If we follow the pattern across a period from B (Z=5) to Ne (Z=10) the number of electrons increase and the
subshells are filled. Here we are focusing on the p subshell in which as we move towards Ne, the p subshell
becomes filled.

B (Z=5) configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p1 O (Z=8) configuration:1s2 2s2 2p4

C (Z=6) configuration:1s2 2s2 2p2 F (Z=9) configuration:1s2 2s2 2p5

N (Z=7) configuration:1s2 2s2 2p3 Ne (Z=10) configuration:1s2 2s2 2p6


Exceptions to the Aubau Rule

While Aufbau process is an accurate in determining the electron configuration of most elements, there are some notable
exceptions that occur within the transition metals and heavier elements. The reason these exceptions occur is because
some elements are more stable with less electrons in some subshells and more electrons within others. A list of the
exceptions to the Aufbau process can be found below.

Exceptions to Electron Configuration Trends


Period 4: Period 5:
Chromium: Z:24 [Ar] 3d54s1 Niobium: Z:41 [Kr] 5s1 4d4
Copper: Z:27 [Ar] 3d104s1 Molybdenum: Z:42 [Kr] 5s1 4d5
Ruthenium: Z:44 [Kr] 5s1 4d7
Rhodium: Z:45 [Kr] 5s1 4d8
Palladium: Z:46 [Kr] 4d10
Silver: Z:47 [Kr] 5s1 4d10

Period 6: Period 7:
Lanthanum: Z:57 [Xe] 6s2 5d1 Actinium: Z:89 [Rn] 7s2 6d1
Cerium: Z:58 [Xe] 6s2 4f1 5d1 Thorium: Z:90 [Rn] 7s2 6d2
Gadolinium: Z:64 [Xe] 6s2 4f7 5d1 Protactium: Z:91 [Rn] 7s2 5f2 6d1
Platinum: Z:78 [Xe] 6s1 4f14 5d9 Uranium: Z:92 [Rn] 7s2 5f3 6d1
Gold: Z:79 [Xe] 6s1 4f14 5d10 Neptunium: Z:93 [Rn] 7s2 5f4 6d1
Curium: Z:96 [Rn] 7s2 5f2 6d1
Lawrencium: Z:103 [Rn] 7s2 5f14 7p1

Pauli Exclusion Principle

The second major fact to keep in mind is the Pauli Exclusion Principle which states that no two electrons can have the
same four quantum numbers. The first three (n,l, and ml) may be similar but the fourth quantum number must be different.
We are aware that in one orbital a maximum of two electrons can be found and the two electrons must have opposing
spins. That means one would spin up ( +1/2) and the other would spin down (-1/2). This tells us that each subshell has
double the electrons per orbital. The s subshell has 1 orbital that can hold to 2 electrons, the p subshell has 3 orbitals that
can hold up to 6 electrons, the d subshell has 5 oribtals that hold up to 10 electrons, and the f subshell has 7 oribtals with
14 electrons.

Example

We have the first three quantum numbers n=1, l=0, ml=0. Only two electrons can correspond to these, which would be
either ms = -1/2 or ms = +1/2. As we already know from our studies of quantum numbers and electron orbitals, we can
conclude that these four quantum numbers refer to 1s subshell. If only one of the ms values are given then we would have
1s1 (denoting Hydrogen) if both are given we would have 1s2 (denoting Helium). Visually this would be represented as:

As you can see, the 1s subshell can hold only two electrons and when filled the electrons have opposite spins.
Hund's Rule

When assigning electrons in orbitals, each electron will first fill all the orbitals with similar energy (also
referred to as degenerate) before pairing with another electron in a half-filled orbital. Atoms at ground states
tend to have as many unpaired electrons as possible. When visualizing this processes, think about how electrons
are exhibiting the same behavior as the same poles on a magnet would if they came into contact; as the
negatively charged electrons fill orbitals they first try to get as far as possible from each other before having to
pair up.

Example

If we look at the correct electron configuration of Nitrogen (Z = 7), a very important element in the biology of
plants: 1s2 2s2 2p3

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