n+l Rule for Atomic Electron Configurations

Orbitals in atomic ground-state electron configurations are filled in the order of increasing . For equal values, the orbital with the lower is most often filled first. Here is the principal quantum number and is the angular momentum quantum number , designated by the code , , , for , respectively. The " rule," also known as the Madelung rule or the diagonal rule, holds with only a small number of irregularities. The designation "diagonal rule" refers to the pattern of atomic orbitals shown in the graphic. The optional configuration diagram also shows the spins of the electrons in occupied orbitals. In accord with the Pauli exclusion principle, each orbital has a maximum capacity of two electrons, with opposite spins. The actual electron configurations are deduced from spectroscopic and chemical characteristics. This Demonstration covers the naturally occurring elements with atomic numbers from 1 to 92.