Magnesium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has a mass number of 24.305 and an atomic number of 12. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, accounting for 2% of it.
What is the electron configuration of magnesium?
The electron configuration of magnesium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2. This means that there are two electrons in the first energy level, two electrons in the second energy level, and six electrons in the third energy level. Magnesium has a total of 12 electrons.
| Atomic Number | 12 |
| Atomic Mass |
24.305 u
|
| Ground State Electronic Configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 |
| Excited State Electronic Configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s13d1 |
| Abbreviated Form | Ne 3s2 |
| Block category | S Block |
| Group | 2nd Group |
| State | Solid |
| Color |
white-silvery
|
How to determine an electron configuration?
To determine the electron configuration of magnesium, one must first understand the basics of electrons and how they are arranged within an atom. Electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom in shells. The first shell can hold a maximum of two electrons, the second shell can hold a maximum of eight electrons, and so on. The outermost shell is called the valence shell.
The number of electrons in an element’s outermost shell determines its chemical properties. For example, magnesium has two electrons in its valence shell. This gives it the ability to form two bonds with other atoms. The arrangement of magnesium’s electrons is 2,8,2.
Electron Configuration Diagram of Magnesium
According to the electron configuration diagram of magnesium, this element has two valence electrons in the outermost orbital. The rest of the orbitals are filled with eight electrons.
Ground State of Magnesium
The ground state of magnesium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2. This means that the magnesium atom has two electrons in its first shell, two electrons in its second shell, six electrons in its third shell, and two electrons in its fourth shell.
Excited State of Magnesium
magnesium has an atomic number of 12 and is in the second row of the periodic table. It is a metal with a silvery white color. Magnesium atoms have 3 valence electrons in the outermost energy level. When magnesium forms compounds, it usually donates all 3 of these electrons to create a stable octet (8 electrons around the nucleus).