Question

Write the condensed electron configuration and partial orbital diagram for Hf

Answers

GPT-4o mini
Hafnium (Hf) has an atomic number of 72. Its electron configuration can be determined by following the order of filling of the atomic orbitals according to the Aufbau principle.

### Condensed Electron Configuration
The condensed electron configuration of Hf is:
\[
[Xe] 6s^2 4f^{14} 5d^2
\]
Here, [Xe] represents the electron configuration of xenon, which accounts for the first 54 electrons.

### Partial Orbital Diagram
The partial orbital diagram for Hf, focusing on its valence electrons, would look like this:

```
5d: ↑↓ ↑
------
6s: ↑↓
------
4f: ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓
----------------
```

In this diagram:
- The 6s orbital has 2 electrons.
- The 4f orbitals are fully filled with 14 electrons.
- The 5d orbitals have 2 unpaired electrons in the first subshell.

This diagram illustrates the key orbitals involved in the electron configuration of hafnium.