When the Schrodinger wave equation is solved for a system, the solutions obtained from it gives us the possible energy levels that the electrons can occupy and the corresponding wave function(s) of the electrons associated with each energy level. Electronic configuration of an atom defines the precise distribution of electrons in an atom and this distribution helps in understanding the reasons for the chemical reactions that the atom or its corresponding molecules get involved in.īefore we know how to write the electronic configuration, it is very important to know the concept of shell, subshell, and atomic orbital. However, the electrons are the ones which lie outside the nucleus of the atom and their precise distribution inside an atom play a very important role in governing the chemical reactions that the atom involves in. In an atom, the protons and the neutrons lie in the nucleus and has almost negligible role in governing any chemical reaction. Apart from electrons and protons, an atom also has neutrons which may or may not be equal to the number of the protons. Every neutral atom consists of a fixed number of electrons which is equal to the number of protons and is called the atomic number. Introduction- What are Electronic Configurations?Įlectronic configuration is defined as the distribution of electrons into the orbitals of an atom.

Electron configuration notes pdf