How do you write the electron configuration for d block elements? It says cobalt is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d7 4s2.  The last two electrons add to the 4s subshell even though 3d still has room for 3 more. It seems like for only d block elements 2 electrons are added to an S orbital even if they would fit in the d orbital, and if it is a cation they get removed from the S oribital first. But the answer in the book for iron is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d6, so two of them do not get added to an S orbital.

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How do you write the electron configuration for d block elements?

It says cobalt is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d7 4s2.  The last two electrons add to the 4s subshell even though 3d still has room for 3 more.

It seems like for only d block elements 2 electrons are added to an S orbital even if they would fit in the d orbital, and if it is a cation they get removed from the S oribital first.

But the answer in the book for iron is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d6, so two of them do not get added to an S orbital.

 

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