What is Electronic Configuration?

Electron configuration is the distribution of electrons of an atom or molecule (or other physical structure) in atomic or molecular orbitals; for example, the electron configuration of a neon atom is 1s2 2s2 2p6. Electronic configurations describe electrons as each moving independently in an orbital, in an average field created by all other orbitals. From electron configuration, an atoms' reactivity and potential for corrosion can be determined.  Knowledge of the electron configuration of different atoms is useful in understanding the structure of the periodic table of elements. The concept is also useful for describing the chemical bonds that hold atoms together.