0.6 Electron orbitals and electron configurations in atoms

Introduction

In looking at the structure of atoms to understand their properties, we have come up with two very powerful models. The first of these, the electron shell model developed in Concept Development Study 4, is based on observing the Periodic Law and the ionization energies of atoms. This led us to a model of the atom in which the electrons in an atom can be grouped together into “shells” with the electrons in a single shell seem to have similar energies. The second model is the quantum energy level description we observed in Concept Development Study 5. We observed that electrons in hydrogen atoms can only have certain specific energies, called energy levels. These two models seem quite similar. In both cases, it appears that the arrangement of the electrons in an atom can be understood by looking at the energies that the electrons can have.

But there are still many questions about how these two models are related. We developed the shell model by comparing the properties of different atoms, each with different numbers of electrons. We developed the quantum energy level model by looking mostly at hydrogen atoms, which each have only a single electron. We would like to know how the energy levels in a hydrogen atom are related to the electron shells in atoms with many electrons.

Perhaps the electrons in a single shell are in the same energy level, but we have not shown that. Even if we assume it is true, we still do not know what determines how many electrons can be in a single level. Without that, we do not know why each shell has a limit on how many electrons can fit. And if we don’t know that, then we don’t know why the properties of the elements are periodic.

To answer these important questions, we need to understand what it means for an electron to move about a nucleus. In the process of studying this, we will find that electrons move very differently than the ways in which we are used to particles moving. The results are surprising but they provide a firm foundation for understanding the Periodic Law of the elements.

Foundation

In this study, we will assume that we know the postulates of the Atomic Molecular Theory and our measurements of relative atomic masses. We will also assume that we know that structure of an atom, with a tiny, massive, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a much larger empty space in which electrons move. The positive charge on the nucleus is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus and, in a neutral atom, is also equal to the number of electrons moving about the nucleus. We will assume knowledge of the concept of electron shells as a means of understanding the Periodic Law, which describes the chemical and physical properties of the elements.

From the previous Concept Development Studies, we shall also assume an understanding of Coulomb’s Law to describe the interactions of the protons and electrons in an atom. We will assume an understanding that light is an electromagnetic wave, meaning that, as it travels, the electric part of the light and the magnetic part of the light oscillate like a wave. And we shall also assume an understanding of the conclusions of our observations of the photoelectric effect. This means we understand that the energy of light is quantized into photons, or packets of energy, whose energy is proportional to the frequency of the light.