To find the electron configuration of the element Nitrogen (N), which has an atomic number of 7, we need to determine how the electrons are distributed among the available orbitals in increasing order of energy levels.
1. First, we fill the 1s orbital:
The 1s orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons.
Therefore, the first 2 electrons go into the 1s orbital:
- Configuration so far: 1s²
2. Next, we fill the 2s orbital:
The 2s orbital can also hold a maximum of 2 electrons.
Therefore, the next 2 electrons go into the 2s orbital:
- Configuration so far: 1s² 2s²
3. Finally, we fill the 2p orbital:
The 2p orbital can hold a maximum of 6 electrons, but we only need to place the remaining 3 electrons here.
Therefore, the remaining 3 electrons go into the 2p orbital:
- Configuration so far: 1s² 2s² 2p³
Combining these, the complete electron configuration for Nitrogen (N) is:
[tex]\[ \text{1s}^22s^22p^3 \][/tex]
This configuration shows how the 7 electrons are distributed in the atomic orbitals.
