What is the electron configuration of gold?

2 Answers
IDKwhatName · Stefan V.
Jul 1, 2017

#"[Xe]" "4f"^14 "5d"^10 "6s"^1#

Explanation:

https://www.desktopbackground.org/wallpaper/mr-pazderaks-blog-822172

As you can see, the nearest noble gas to gold without going over, is xenon (Xe). The reason '#"[Xe]"#' appears in the noble gas electronic configuration is because they both share the same electron configuration (although for good, its part of it).

Truong-Son N.
Jul 1, 2017

With an atomic number of #79#, #"Au"# has a configuration of...

#[Xe] 4f^14 5d^10 6s^1#,

and not #5d^9 6s^2#.

https://sciencenotes.org/

It has a xenon core, plus a #4f# outer core. Surprisingly enough, due to scalar relativistic effects (gold's #1s# electron moves at #57.7%# the speed of light), its #6s# electron contracts and its #5d# and #4f# orbitals expand, so that despite having one valence electron, gold is not very reactive.

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