What is the condensed electron configuration of praseodymium?
I know the answer is #\text{[Xe]6s}^2\text{4f}^3# , but my textbook says that lanthanum and cerium have one d electron. How do I know that Pr doesn't have any electrons in d orbital? Thanks!
I know the answer is
1 Answer
Nov 16, 2017
There are many exceptions to the "rules" in determining the electron configurations of the lanthanide and actinide elements.
Explanation:
For these elements, I think it is more important to be able to apply the "rules" and let the exceptions take care of themselves.
In introductory chemistry, it is not overly important to know the exceptions in the lanthanide and actinide series.
Perhaps that's why your instructor asked you this question.
You would predict the electron configuration of
and you would be correct!
