Electronic Configuration and Valence Shell Pattern of Group 17 Elements

Inorganic chemistry is mostly liked by a lot of students. That is the popular narrative that many students believe in. This is because inorganic chemistry is comparatively easier than organic chemistry. If you have read some of our articles from organic chemistry, then you already know what and how we feel about it. As long as you are paying good attention to it and you are practising it enough, you will be able to score well. The same applies to inorganic chemistry and the topic at hand here as well. You must be able to pay attention to every single thing that is being told whenever any topic from Inorganic Chemistry is taught. Group 17 elements are halogens. You have studied halogens since class 10 and you have gotten a fair idea of what they are. The main goal of this article is to teach you about the electronic configuration of group 17 elements. This topic is very essential in terms of your school level exams as well as competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CET, etc. Plus, inorganic chemistry serves as a great way to score a lot of marks because of how simple everything is to understand and to learn. 

Before you start reading the entire article, we want you to make sure that you are taking notes while reading the article so that you get the entire concept right away and that you do not have to read the same thing over and over again. With that being said, Vedantu proudly presents to you this wonderfully written article on the electronic configuration of the Group 17 Elements.

What are Halogens?

The term ‘halogen’ means ‘salt-producing’. Halogens are a group of elements in the periodic table which exhibit similar properties. It is the 17th group (according to IUPAC nomenclature) in the universally known periodic table consisting of all elements known in the world. As of now, five elements are classified as halogens, namely, fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At). The new artificially created element 117, tennessine (Ts), might also be a halogen.

These elements readily react with alkali metals and alkaline earth metals to produce a wide range of salts like calcium fluoride, silver bromide, potassium iodide, and sodium chloride (common table salt).

Some Properties:

• All halogen molecules are diatomic.

• They can gain an electron by reacting with the atoms of other elements.

• Halogens have seven valence electrons. Therefore, they form negative ions that are highly reactive.

• Fluorine is one of the most reactive elements to exist.

• Halogens have a strong and nasty smell.

• Halogens are highly toxic.

• They have low melting and boiling points.

• They are poor conductors of electricity and heat.

• This is the only group in the periodic table group that contains elements in all three states of matter.

Halogen Electron Configuration

The general electronic configuration of halogens is ns2 np5. They always have seven valence electrons. They are one electron less than having a filled outer s and p orbitals. This makes them very reactive.

Electronic Configurations

Before moving on let us make the concept of electronic configurations clear. The electronic configuration is basically the arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of the atom of an element. The study of electronic configuration helps us in understanding the reactivity of elements and the type of bonds formed by the elements with other elements. It also shows the similarity in the trends of physical and chemical properties of the elements. There are certain principles that we adhere to when writing the electronic configuration of any element.

• Pauli’s Exclusion Principle: It is based on quantum numbers. Pauli stated that all four quantum numbers of any two electrons in an atom cannot be identical.

• Hund's Rule: Hund's rule of maximum multiplicity states that electrons can get paired up in an orbital only when all the subshells consist of at least one electron in it.

• Aufbau Principle: According to this principle, electrons of any element can fill the energy levels in increasing order.

Using these rules the electronic configuration of group 17 elements is ns2 np5, where n is the quantum number of the respective elements.

Let us See the Electronic of Each Element of Halogens Separately

1. Fluorine (F): It is a pale-yellow diatomic gas at room temperatures, which is highly toxic and corrosive in nature. It has the atomic number 9. It belongs to the 2nd period and is located in the p block. The electron arrangement of fluorine is

                 He2s22p6.

2. Chlorine (Cl): This is a greenish-yellow coloured gas with a very strong smell. It has atomic number 17 and belongs to p-block, 3rd period. The electronic configuration of this halogen is:

                 Ne3s23p5.

3. Bromine (Br): At room temperature, bromine is a reddish-brown colour liquid with an acidic odour. With atomic number 35, situated in the 4th period and p-block, it has the following electronic configuration:

      Ar3d104s24p5.

4. Iodine (I): The vapours of iodine gas are violet in colour. It has atomic number 53 and belongs to p-block, 5th period. The electronic configuration is

     Kr4d105s25p5.

5. Astatine (At): Astatine is an unstable, radioactive compound with an atomic number 85. It belongs to the p-block, 6th period of the periodic table with electronic configuration

                 Xe4f145d106s26p5.

Fun Facts!

• The word Halogen comes from the Greek words ‘hals’ meaning salt and ‘gen’ meaning to make.

• Fluorine gas is considered to be deadly. Breathing air with fluorine of just 0.1% can cause death. It is considered as one of the most reactive elements in existence.

• Small amounts of fluoride are used in water and toothpaste to prevent tooth decay.

• Astatine has found uses in medicine although it is radioactive and decays very quickly.

• Iodine is used to clean wounds and cuts as it acts as a disinfectant.

• The first halogen to be discovered, isolated, and recognized as an element was chlorine. It is also used as a bleaching agent.

• Bromine has a very strong and bad odour and gets its name from the Greek word ‘bromos’ meaning stench.

Final Thoughts

We hope that the article was able to teach you all the important things that need to be known in order to understand the main idea and logic behind the electronic configuration of group 17 elements. We expect you to be back here every single time you have a doubt whenever you are studying the topic of Halogens. We know this because there are several instances when you need a specific answer to a specific question that many students just forget about and that is why we want you to come back to the article every single time you get any doubt. Vedantu thanks you for your continuous support and wishes you luck for your next exam!