Rules for Filling Orbitals
1. Lower-energy orbitals fill first.
2. An orbital can hold only 2 electrons
with opposite
spins (Pauli
Exclusion Principle).
3. If 2 or more degenerate orbitals
available, 1 electron
goes in each
until all are half-full (Hund's Rule).
Degenerate: Orbitals with same energy level!
Theoretically,
electrons in same shell possess the same energy.
This is not
true for multielectron atoms.
The reason
is SHIELDING!
Shielding results from repulsion of electrons
either in the same
shell or inner shell. We will consider
shielding from same shell.
Energies of 3rd
Shell: 3s < 3p < 3d
These differences are due to shielding!
For electrons in 3rd shell:
3p shielded by
3s
3d shielded by
3s/3p
Beacause
electrons in 3s shield electrons in 3p from the nucleus,
additional
energy needed to maintain electrons in 3p orbital.
Because both 3s/3p
shield 3d from nucleus, even more energy
needed to maintain
electrons in 3d orbital.