How would I write the electron configuration for an element with 8 electrons?

Question

photon336 · Answer

@a1234 you can start by doing this


we know that each orbital has 2 electrons in it right? and we fill orbitals from the lowest energy up.

s orbital = 2 electrons
p orbital = 6 electrons maximum

so when we start off at the lowest energy level 1s and we would put 2 electrons in that orbital. then we would put another 2 in 2s. we're left with four. if we were to stop there we would have beryllium. 

this would be our configuration

$$1s ^{2}2s ^{2}2p ^{4}$$

say we start off

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