Thulium (Tm) · 69 electrons · Lanthanide
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f13 6s2
Noble gas notation: [Xe] 4f13 6s2

Orbital diagram

Valence electrons
2
Unpaired electrons
1
Block
f-block
Magnetism (atom)
paramagnetic

Electrons per shell

Tm
K (n = 1)2
L (n = 2)8
M (n = 3)18
N (n = 4)31
O (n = 5)8
P (n = 6)2

Thulium ion configurations

IonElectronsConfiguration
Tm3+66[Xe] 4f13

How to write it

Place 69 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. Thulium sits in period 6, in the f-block, so its last electron enters a f subshell. Replacing the inner electrons with the previous noble gas gives the shorthand [Xe] 4f13 6s2.

Try thulium and its ions in the calculator, or see the full thulium data sheet.

Thulium electron configuration FAQ

What is the electron configuration of thulium?

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f¹³ 6s². Shorthand (noble gas) notation: [Xe] 4f¹³ 6s².

What is the noble gas configuration of thulium?

[Xe] 4f¹³ 6s². The bracket stands for the Xe core electrons.

How many valence electrons does thulium have?

2 (2 in the outer s subshell).

How many unpaired electrons does thulium have?

1 in the ground state, following Hund’s rule. An atom with unpaired electrons is paramagnetic.

What is the electron configuration of Tm3+?

[Xe] 4f¹³ (66 electrons).