Shorthand Electronic Configuration for Curium (Cm, Z=96)
Published on March 8, 2026
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Determine the noble gas (shorthand) electronic configuration for Curium (Atomic Number 96) using the Aufbau principle by filling orbitals sequentially after the preceding noble gas, Radon [Rn].
Question
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Answer
This is a chemistry problem that asks for the shorthand electronic configuration of Curium (), which has an atomic number () of 96, using the Aufbau principle.
The process to find the shorthand (noble gas) electronic configuration is as follows:
Step 1: Identify the noble gas preceding Curium.
The atomic number of Curium () is . We look at the periodic table to find the noble gas with an atomic number less than 96.
The noble gases and their atomic numbers are:
: 2
: 10
: 18
: 36
: 54
: 86
: 118
The noble gas immediately preceding (96) is Radon (), with .
Step 2: Determine the remaining number of electrons.
The number of remaining electrons to be filled after the core is:
Step 3: Determine the electron filling order following Radon ().
The general filling order (Aufbau Principle) following Radon (which completes the through shells) starts with the orbital, followed by the , , and then orbitals, according to the energy level diagram:
For (), the configuration is . We need to place the remaining 10 electrons.
orbital: Fills first, maximum 2 electrons.
Remaining electrons: .
orbital: Fills next, maximum 14 electrons. We have 8 electrons left.
Remaining electrons: .
Step 4: Write the shorthand electronic configuration.
The shorthand electronic configuration for () is:
(Note: While the orbitals are often written before the orbitals when following the strict Aufbau filling sequence after , the standard convention for the actinides often lists the electrons followed by the electrons if they are present, or groups the orbitals together. For , which is in the actinide series, the configuration is typically written with the electrons immediately following ).
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