Hund's Rule
Hund's Rule states that when electrons occupy orbitals of the same energy level, they will distribute themselves to maximize the number of unpaired electrons. This means each orbital gets one electron before any orbital gets a second. By doing so, atoms achieve greater stability. For example, in a set of three orbitals, one electron will go into each orbital before pairing occurs, which helps minimize repulsion between electrons and lowers the overall energy of the atom. This principle is key to understanding how atoms bond and behave chemically.
Additional Insights
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Hund's rule is a principle in chemistry that helps explain how electrons are distributed in atomic orbitals. It states that when multiple orbitals of the same energy level are available, electrons will fill each orbital singly before pairing up. This occurs because electrons repel each other due to their negative charge, so occupying separate orbitals minimizes this repulsion and allows for lower energy configurations. By following Hund's rule, atoms achieve more stable arrangements, which is important for understanding chemical bonding and the behavior of elements in the periodic table.