Osmium Electron Configuration
Orbital diagram
- Valence electrons
- 8
- Unpaired electrons
- 4
- Block
- d-block
- Magnetism (atom)
- paramagnetic
Electrons per shell
| K (n = 1) | 2 |
|---|---|
| L (n = 2) | 8 |
| M (n = 3) | 18 |
| N (n = 4) | 32 |
| O (n = 5) | 14 |
| P (n = 6) | 2 |
Osmium ion configurations
| Ion | Electrons | Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Os4+ | 72 | [Xe] 4f14 5d4 |
How to write it
Place 76 electrons into subshells in the Aufbau order (1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p), filling s with 2, p with 6, d with 10 and f with 14. Osmium sits in period 6, group 8, in the d-block, so its last electron enters a d subshell. Replacing the inner electrons with the previous noble gas gives the shorthand [Xe] 4f14 5d6 6s2.
Try osmium and its ions in the calculator, or see the full osmium data sheet.
Osmium electron configuration FAQ
What is the electron configuration of osmium?
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f¹⁴ 5d⁶ 6s². Shorthand (noble gas) notation: [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁶ 6s².
What is the noble gas configuration of osmium?
[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁶ 6s². The bracket stands for the Xe core electrons.
How many valence electrons does osmium have?
8 (2 outer s + 6 d electrons; 2 in the outermost shell).
How many unpaired electrons does osmium have?
4 in the ground state, following Hund’s rule. An atom with unpaired electrons is paramagnetic.
What is the electron configuration of Os4+?
[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁴ (72 electrons). Transition metal cations lose their outer s electrons before d electrons.