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Electron Structure

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Electronic Structure

Electrons have fixed positions in atoms called shells or energy levels. These shells (or energy levels) go around the atom's nucleus.

Filling electron shells

Filling electron shells

  • Electrons fill an atom's shells in order of increasing energy.
    • The closer a shell is to the nucleus, the lower its energy level, so the first shell that is filled is the closest to the nucleus.
Electron configuration

Electron configuration

  • Electron configuration tells us how an atom's electrons are organised.
  • The inner shell (closest to the nucleus) can have a maximum of 2 electrons and the next two shells can have a maximum of 8 electrons.
  • Any extra electrons are then put into a fourth shell.
Jump to other topics
1

Atomic Structure

2

Chemical Bonding

3

Quantitative Chemistry

4

Chemical Changes

5

Energy Changes

6

The Rate & Extent of Chemical Change

7

Organic Chemistry

8

Chemical Analysis

9

Chemistry of the Atmosphere

10

Using Resources

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