What is ground state electron configuration?

The ground state electron configuration refers to the arrangement of electrons in an atom when they are in their lowest energy state. In other words, it is the most stable arrangement of electrons for a given atom.

The electron configuration can be represented using the Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle, and Hund's rule. The Aufbau principle states that electrons fill the lowest energy orbitals first before moving to higher energy levels. The Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of quantum numbers, meaning that each electron must have a unique combination of 4 quantum numbers. Hund's rule states that electrons will fill orbitals of the same energy level singly before pairing up.

The ground state electron configuration of an atom is determined by the number of electrons it has. For example, the ground state electron configuration of carbon (C) is 1s2 2s2 2p2, indicating that carbon has 6 electrons distributed across the 1s, 2s, and 2p orbitals.

Overall, the ground state electron configuration provides important information about the arrangement of electrons in an atom, which in turn influences its chemical properties and behavior.