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NCERT Exemplar · Q23

Q.Show the distribution of electrons in oxygen atom (atomic number 8) using orbital diagram.

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Oxygen has 8 electrons that fill orbitals in order of increasing energy: 1s2 2s2 2p41s^2\,2s^2\,2p^4. The orbital diagram shows paired electrons in 1s1s and 2s2s, then four electrons distributed across three 2p2p orbitals with two unpaired.

Why orbital diagrams matter

An orbital diagram is a visual map of where electrons live in an atom. Unlike electron configuration notation, which just counts electrons in each subshell, the diagram shows how electrons occupy individual orbitals within a subshell. This matters because electrons arrange themselves to minimize repulsion—a principle captured by Hund's rule—and the diagram reveals the atom's magnetic properties and bonding behavior.

Oxygen's 8 electrons fill orbitals starting from the lowest energy level, following three rules:

  • Aufbau principle: electrons occupy the lowest-energy orbital available
  • Pauli exclusion principle: each orbital holds at most two electrons with opposite spins
  • Hund's rule: within a subshell, electrons spread out into separate orbitals (all with parallel spin) before pairing up

Building the orbital diagram step by step

  1. Start with the 1s1s orbital The first two electrons enter the 1s1s orbital, one spin-up (↑↑) and one spin-down (↓↓), filling it completely:

1s:↑↓1s: \boxed{↑↓}

  1. Move to the 2s2s orbital The next two electrons (3rd and 4th) fill the 2s2s orbital, again as a pair with opposite spins:

2s:↑↓2s: \boxed{↑↓}

  1. Distribute the remaining four electrons in the 2p2p subshell

    The 2p2p subshell contains three orbitals of equal energy: 2px2p_x, 2py2p_y, and 2pz2p_z. We have four electrons left.

    By Hund's rule, the first three electrons enter separate orbitals, all with the same spin (say, spin-up):

2p:↑↑↑2p: \boxed{↑}\quad \boxed{↑}\quad \boxed{↑}

The fourth electron must now pair with one of the existing electrons (opposite spin):

2p:↑↓↑↑2p: \boxed{↑↓}\quad \boxed{↑}\quad \boxed{↑} …

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