The orbital diagram for sulfur (S), which has an atomic number of 16, illustrates the arrangement of its electrons in various atomic orbitals. Sulfur has a total of 16 electrons, and the distribution of these electrons among the orbitals follows the Aufbau principle, Hund’s rule, and the Pauli exclusion principle.
Here’s how the electrons are distributed:
- 1s: 2 electrons
- 2s: 2 electrons
- 2p: 6 electrons
- 3s: 2 electrons
- 3p: 4 electrons
In orbital notation, this can be represented as:
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴
The orbital diagram visually looks like this:
1s: ↑↓ 2s: ↑↓ 2p: ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ 3s: ↑↓ 3p: ↑↓ ↑
In this diagram:
- Each box represents an orbital, and each arrow represents an electron.
- Electrons are filled in pairs in an orbital before moving to the next one, and in the p-orbitals, they are distributed to maximize the number of unpaired electrons according to Hund’s rule.
Overall, the electron configuration and the orbital diagram provide insight into the chemical properties of sulfur, such as its reactivity and the types of bonds it can form.