The four most abundant elements by mass in the human body...

The four most abundant elements by mass in the human body are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. These four elements make up about $96 \%$ of the human body. The next four most abundant elements are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Write the expected ground-state electron configurations for these eight most abundant elements in the human body.

Key Concepts

Periodic Table Trends

Understanding how elements are arranged in the periodic table is crucial because electron configurations are closely tied to periodic trends. The table provides a systematic way to predict electron configurations by relating atomic number and recurring chemical properties across periods and groups.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

The Pauli Exclusion Principle states that no two electrons in the same atom can have identical sets of quantum numbers. This limitation forces electrons to be distributed among different orbitals or with opposite spins, and is essential for determining the unique electron configuration of each element.

Hund's Rule

Hund's Rule indicates that electrons will fill degenerate orbitals singly, with parallel spins, before pairing up. This minimizes electron-electron repulsions and leads to the most stable, lowest-energy configuration for an atom's electrons.

Ground-State Electron Configuration

This concept describes the arrangement of electrons in an atom's orbitals when the atom is in its lowest energy state. It uses a notation system that shows how electrons fill energy levels and subshells, helping to predict chemical behavior and properties.

Aufbau Principle

The Aufbau Principle explains that electrons occupy orbitals starting from the lowest energy level and move to higher levels as needed. This stepwise filling dictates the order in which electrons build up the electron configuration of an atom.

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