electron configuration...?

Question

Sometimes I see it written as 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p.. and sometimes as 1s 2s 2px 2py 2pz 3s... What is the difference and what are the x y and z for? Which one is correct? And what would come next in the second arrangement? ( 2py 2pz 3s....?) Thanx

Answer 1

They are both correct. The p orbitals can be labelled x y and z because it has 3 sub levels. The x,y,and z refer to the axis that the p orbitals fall on. Usually they don't get labelled unless you are dealing with hybridization. If you label the p orbitals the next would be 3s, 3px 3py, 3pz, etc.

Answer 2

Both are correct; the second just has more detail. There is a maximum of 6 electrons in the p orbital, in 3 sort of dumbbell shaped orbitals, mutually at right angles ie along the x, y and z axes. After the 3p sub shell (made up of 3px, 3py and 3pz) comes the 4s shell, then the 3d. There are 5 d - sub orbitals, for a total of 10 electrons, corresponding with the first row of transition metals.

You might find the link below of some help.

Answer 3

Electron orbitals fill in a predictable pattern for the first few shells.
Orbitals are S, P, D and F.
S is spherical, and holds up to only 2 electrons.
P is shaped with three lobes in the x, y and z direction.
The P orbital can hold 6 electrons
( see the photo in the first link)

When filling electron shells, first the S fills ( 1S1) Hydrogen, then the next S fills, 1S2. That shell is now full, and you have Helium ( shell is full, Nobel gas configuration ).

Next is the 2S1 Lithium, then 2S2 Beryllium,
then (2px, 2py then 2pz one electron each, then go back and fill in the second electron for 2px, then 2py, then 2pz). We always used p1,p3,p5, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, then p2,p4, and finally p6, wrather than x, y, and z Oxygen, Fluorine.
The X Y and Z are more descriptive of the lobes of the P orbital, which extend in the X, Y and Z direction, and start with one electron in each, then go back and fill a second electron in each for a total of 6.

The p x, y and z start with one electron at first, and then they start to double up with 2 in the x, then 2 in the y, then finally the p is full when they all have 2 = 6, the shell is full and has the Nobel gas configuration Neon.
I will use lower and upper case to indicate 2 electrons in xyz. The energy in each, x, y and z are identical, so the xyz is arbitrary.

The next layer is 3S1, 3S2, 3px, 3py, 3pz, 3pX, 3pY, 3pZ.
( S, P, D, F) so the next logical place to fill would be the 3D which has 5 lobes, each holding 2 ( 10). However, the 4Ps1, and 4PS2 are at a lower energy level then the 3D.
So 4s1, and 4S2 fill before the 3D.

1s1, 1S2, 2s1, 2S2, 2p1, 2p3, 2p5, 2p2, 2p4, 2p6, 3s1, 3S2, 3p1, 3p3, 3p5, 3p2, 3p4, 3p6, 4s1, 4S2, 3d1, 3d3, 3d5, 3d2, 3d4, 3D6, 4p1, 4p3, 4p5, 4p2, 4p4, 4P6.
Things get messy after that, because the energy levels of the lower orbitals tend to start to overlap with the higher orbitals.
This gives rise to the unusual properties in the transition elements. #A,4A,5A,6A,7A8,1B,2B including Platinum, Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Vandium, Chromium, etc.

See the link for the filling order following Hunds Rule, and the periodic table of the elements.

The correct way of writing these out is listed in the link below, under " How to write electronic structures"
Austin Semiconductor

Answer 4

the first one is electron configuration; and the second one is the orbital's configuration. X, Y and Z are the orbitals around the atom, to show where the electrons are located and in which shell.

Answer 5

the xyz are subshells. there are none in s