FIELD NOTES / 04
Electrons & chemical behaviour
A guide to the notation inside an atom.
Electron configurations describe how electrons occupy atomic orbitals. The labels s, p, d and f refer to different subshells.
A bracketed noble-gas symbol abbreviates the inner-electron configuration. For example, [He] in carbon represents the same inner configuration as helium.
Outer electrons strongly influence bonding. Electronegativity describes an atom’s tendency to attract electrons in a bond; the Pauling scale is dimensionless.