[Douglas]

Does anyone here teach electron configurations in a general chemistry course and explain to me why it is useful?

[cliverlong]

Does anyone here teach electron configurations in a general chemistry course and explain to me why it is useful?

I just went over an example this evening.

Looked at building up electron orbitals as one traverses the peridoc table
1s,2s,2p,3s,3p

Look at relative energy of filling orbitals with electrons

Then see, after 3p start fill 4s for period 4: K, Ca

Then fill 3d for d-block elements

Look at available unpaired electrons or single electron-occupied sub-orbitals

From this point one can explain plausibly (if, maybe, not fully rigorously) properties of d-block and first row transitions:

multiple oxidation states of transition atoms - and why you don't need a "full outer shell" to form a stable bond
colour of ions by orbital splitting (don't quite get that myself to be honest)
explaining aqua ions and adding ammonia to form complex ions
adding ligands via lone pais into available empty d-orbitals and why adding OH^- results in precipitate in some cases


Separately:

Relate electronic configuration to ionisation energies and hence models of bond energy and enthalpies of reaction
Relate electron configuration to the energy jumps of electrons to explain emmission and absortion spectra used in spectrographic analysis
Explaining shape of some molecules such as methane, ethene and benzene by "promotion" of electrons then hybridization of orbitals in a carbon atom


In UK those kind of explanations are only expected at A-Level (Year 12)


What do you think of these examples?


Clive