The standard notation for the indication of the electronic configuration of atoms is written in a sequence of the label names of each atomic subshell with the number of electrons assigned to that specific subshell written in superscript.
These subshells are made up of atomic orbitals. The four subshell labels that are used are s, p, d, and f. The maximum number of electrons allowed in each of these subshells are 2, 6, 10, and 14 respectively.
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For example, the names of the subshells in a sulfur atom would be 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, and 3p (since sulfur has three electron shells). All of these shells are filled except the 3p shell which has four electrons. Therefore, the electronic configuration of sulfur can be written as 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4.
The electronic configuration of elements can also be written with the help of noble gases. These noble gases have completely filled outermost shells and can be prefixed to the outermost shell of the element whose electronic configuration must be noted.
For example, the electronic configuration of sulfur can be written as [Ne] 3s2 3p4, since Neon has an electronic configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p6.
Electronic Configuration of First 30 Elements with Atomic Numbers
Given below is a table describing the electronic configuration of the first 30 elements with atomic numbers.
| Atomic Number | Name of the Element | Electronic Configuration |
| 1 | Hydrogen (H) | 1s1 |
| 2 | Helium (He) | 1s2 |
| 3 | Lithium (Li) | [He] 2s1 |
| 4 | Beryllium (Be) | [He] 2s2 |
| 5 | Boron (B) | [He] 2s2 2p1 |
| 6 | Carbon (C) | [He] 2s2 2p2 |
| 7 | Nitrogen (N) | [He] 2s2 2p3 |
| 8 | Oxygen (O) | [He] 2s2 2p4 |
| 9 | Fluorine (F) | [He] 2s2 2p5 |
| 10 | Neon (Ne) | [He] 2s2 2p6 |
| 11 | Sodium (Na) | [Ne] 3s1 |
| 12 | Magnesium (Mg) | [Ne] 3s2 |
| 13 | Aluminium (Al) | [Ne] 3s2 3p1 |
| 14 | Silicon (Si) | [Ne] 3s2 3p2 |
| 15 | Phosphorus (P) | [Ne] 3s2 3p3 |
| 16 | Sulphur (S) | [Ne] 3s2 3p4 |
| 17 | Chlorine (Cl) | [Ne] 3s2 3p5 |
| 18 | Argon (Ar) | [Ne] 3s2 3p6 |
| 19 | Potassium (K) | [Ar] 4s1 |
| 20 | Calcium (Ca) | [Ar] 4s2 |
| 21 | Scandium (Sc) | [Ar] 3d1 4s2 |
| 22 | Titanium (Ti) | [Ar] 3d2 4s2 |
| 23 | Vanadium (V) | [Ar] 3d3 4s2 |
| 24 | Chromium (Cr) | [Ar] 3d5 4s1 |
| 25 | Manganese (Mn) | [Ar] 3d5 4s2 |
| 26 | Iron (Fe) | [Ar] 3d6 4s2 |
| 27 | Cobalt (Co) | [Ar] 3d7 4s2 |
| 28 | Nickel (Ni) | [Ar] 3d8 4s2 |
| 29 | Copper (Cu) | [Ar] 3d10 4s1 |
| 30 | Zinc (Zn) | [Ar] 3d10 4s2 |
Also, check ⇒ Chemistry Concept Questions and Answers
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Electronic Configuration
The electronic configuration of the first 30 elements with atomic numbers listed above corresponds to the ground state of the specific elements. Any configuration that does not correspond to the lowest energy state is called an excited state. To learn more about writing the electronic configuration of an atom or a molecule, visit BYJU’S.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
How do you write the configuration of an element?
When writing an electron configuration, first write the energy level (the period), then the subshell to be filled and the superscript, which is the number of electrons in that subshell. The total number of electrons is the atomic number, Z
What is electron configuration?
Electronic configuration, also called electronic structure, the arrangement of electrons in energy levels around an atomic nucleus. According to the older shell atomic model, electrons occupy several levels from the first shell nearest the nucleus, K, through the seventh shell, Q, farthest from the nucleus.
Who discovered neutrons?
In 1932, the physicist James Chadwick conducted an experiment in which he bombarded Beryllium with alpha particles from the natural radioactive decay of Polonium.
What is the electronic configuration of Chlorine 17?
The neutral atom chlorine (Z=17), for instance has 17 electrons. Therefore, its ground state electronic configuration can be written as 1s22s22p63s23p5.
Are all d-block elements transition elements?
All the transition elements are d-block elements but all d-block elements are not transition elements.
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What is the valency of gallium
Valency of gallium is 3, 2, 1. Click here to learn more about Valency chart.
thank you so much this really helped
In this periodic table the electronic configuration of Copper (Cu) is wrong.
The correct configuration is
Cu= [Ar] 3d9 4s2
Please correct that others are right and very useful.
This is expected that the configuration of copper is 3d94s2. However, it turns out that the 3d104s1 configuration is more stable, because that way the 3d subshell is full, which is a far more stable arrangement than 3d9. Due to extra stability of half filled and fulfilled orbital, Cu have configuration 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s14p0.
What is electionic configuration.
Electronic configuration, also called electronic structure, the arrangement of electrons in energy levels around an atomic nucleus.
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why is the name of subshells not arranged as spdf in electronic configuration?
There are 4 subshells, s, p, d, and f. Each subshell can hold a different number of electrons. The n number determines how many of the subshells make up the shell. s, p, d, f and so on are the names given to the orbitals that hold the electrons in atoms. These orbitals have different shapes (e.g. electron density distributions in space) and energies (e.g. 1s is lower energy than 2s which is lower energy than 3s; 2s is lower energy than 2p).
Why isn’t the electronic configuration of chromium not filling as per the rule
Chromium is supposed to be [Ar] 4s^2 3d^4 but here it is mentioned as [Ar] 3d^5 4s^1
Why is it so
Is there any rule or explanation for the skipping of shells
The electronic configuration of Chromium is 1s2 ,2s2 , 2p6 , 3s2 ,3p6 ,4s1 ,3d5 and not 1s2 ,2s2 , 2p6 , 3s2 ,3p6 ,4s2 ,3d4. It is because half-filled or fully filled subshells are more stable than partially filled orbitals. Moreover, half-filled subshells have fewer electron-electron repulsions in the orbitals, thereby are more stable.