Electron Configuration of Hydrogen (H)

What is the electron configuration of Hydrogen?

The electron configuration of Hydrogen (H, Z=1) is 1s¹. In noble gas shorthand: 1s¹. It has 1 unpaired electron(s) and is a s-block element.

SymbolH
Atomic Number1
Full Electron Configuration1s¹
Noble Gas Shorthand1s¹
Blocks
Period1
Group1
Unpaired Electrons1
Exception?No

Orbital Filling Order

Following the aufbau principle, the 1 electrons in Hydrogen fill orbitals in order of increasing energy: 1s (1 electron).

Each orbital is filled according to the Pauli exclusion principle (at most 2 electrons per orbital) and Hund's rule (electrons occupy degenerate orbitals singly before pairing).

Noble Gas Shorthand

Hydrogen is a light element (Z=1) with no noble gas core to abbreviate. Its full configuration 1s¹ is already concise.

Valence Electrons

The valence shell of Hydrogen contains 1 electron in the 1s subshell. These outermost electrons determine Hydrogen's chemical reactivity, bonding behavior, and position in the periodic table as a s-block element in period 1.

Visualize orbital filling with 3D orbital shapes, aufbau principle, and noble gas shorthand for 36 elements.

Explore Hydrogen in the Electron Configuration Explorer

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