Subject: Electron Configurations

While learning about electron configurations of atoms, one of my students created this special diagram for filling in when doing orbital notations. He found it easier to fill these in when doing his homework rather than have to draw the "orbitals" each time. I liked them because they kept things rather tidy and easy to read for both me and the students, so I photocopied them and began using them.

His original design contained a good deal of information that I required him to learn/remember, such as an Aufbau diagram (which he simplified to one line of text) and notes to help with shorthand electron configuration notations. I felt that the students needed to write this down themselves each time until they really grasped the concepts and remembered them, so I removed that information from the sheets that I hand out. However, each version has been included for you to see and edit yourselves. In addition, the original displayed an 8th energy level which was not needed and so removed.

We hope these diagrams prove useful to you and your students. Feel free to modify them as you need. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about them please feel free to contact me.

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orbital 2
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Michael Geyer (m_geyer@thecatalyst.org)
Deer Park High School, Cincinnati, OH

Andrew Lagan, student
Deer Park High School, Cincinnati, OH