How do you write the noble-gas electron configuration for gold?

1 Answer
Al E.
Jul 6, 2017

You are correct, except it is an anomalous configuration (which most professors don't expect you to know entirely)!

Explanation:

#Au#: #[Xe]6s^(2)4f^(14)5d^9#

is the expected configuration, however

#Au#: #[Xe]6s^(1)4f^(14)5d^10#

is a more stable configuration that gold usually takes.

A full 5d subshell and a half full 6s subshell is preferable to the awkward "expected" configuration.

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