The orbital diagram of nitrogen shows that the 1s subshell has 2 electrons, the 2s subshell has 2 electrons, and the 2p subshell has 3 electrons.
Steps
Here’s how you can draw the orbital diagram of nitrogen step by step.
Step #1: find electrons of nitrogen
Step #2: write electron configuration of nitrogen
Step #3: draw orbital diagram of nitrogen
Let’s break down each step in detail.
#1 Find Electrons of Nitrogen
The atomic number of nitrogen represents the total number of electrons of nitrogen. Since the atomic number of nitrogen is 7, the total electrons of nitrogen are 7.
#2 Write Electron Configuration of Nitrogen
The electron configuration of nitrogen is 1s2 2s2 2p3.
Now in the next step, start drawing the orbital diagram for nitrogen.
#3 Draw Orbital Diagram of Nitrogen
Before drawing the orbital diagram, you should know the three general rules.
- Aufbau principle – electrons are first filled in lowest energy orbital and then in higher energy orbital
- Pauli exclusion principle – two electrons with the same spin can not occupy the same orbital
- Hund’s rule – each orbital should be first filled with one electron before being paired with a second electron
Also, you should know the number of orbitals in each subshell.
We can calculate the number of orbitals in each subshell using the formula: 2ℓ + 1
Where, ℓ = azimuthal quantum number of the subshell
For s subshell, ℓ = 0
For p subshell, ℓ = 1
For d subshell, ℓ = 2
For f subshell, ℓ = 3
So each s subshell has one orbital, each p subshell has three orbitals, each d subshell has five orbitals, and each f subshell has seven orbitals.
Now start to draw!
As mentioned above, the electron configuration of nitrogen is 1s2 2s2 2p3. Hence, draw the blank orbital diagram of nitrogen up to 2p subshell as follows:
In the above orbital diagram, the box represents an orbital. Each orbital has a capacity of two electrons. And the arrows (↑↓) are drawn inside the box to represent electrons.
Now 1s2 indicates that the 1s subshell has 2 electrons. So draw two arrows in the 1s box showing two electrons as follows:
2s2 indicates that the 2s subshell has 2 electrons. So draw two arrows in the 2s box showing two electrons as follows:
2p3 indicates that the 2p subshell has 3 electrons. So draw three arrows in the 2p box showing three electrons as follows:
That’s it! This is the final orbital diagram of nitrogen as we have used all 7 electrons.
Next: Oxygen Orbital Diagram
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Related:
Also Read:
- Nitrogen Element
- Nitrogen Bohr Model
- Nitrogen Protons Neutrons and Electrons
- Nitrogen Valence Electrons
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