GradeGen

The arrangement of electrons in an atom's occupied energy levels or shells.

The arrangement of electrons among the occupied energy levels of an atom or ion.

The arrangement of an atom's electrons in energy levels or shells.

The arrangement of an atom's electrons among its occupied energy levels or shells.

This is why atomic number, electronic structure and position are not separate facts. Increasing the atomic number adds another proton and, in a neutral atom, another electron. The way successive electrons occupy energy levels produces the repeating pattern of periods and groups seen in the Periodic Table.

The arrangement of an atom's electrons in its energy levels or shells.

Check a numerical electronic structure by adding its numbers: the total should equal the atom’s atomic number.

When given an electronic structure, add all the numbers to obtain the number of electrons. For a neutral atom, this is also the atomic number.

Elements in the same group do not have identical electronic structures; they have the same number of outer-shell electrons.