Californium Electron Configuration

Reference for californium's electron configuration: [Rn] 5f¹⁰ 7s² (full: 1s²…6p⁶ 5f¹⁰ 7s²). Includes orbital filling table, subshell breakdown, and element facts.

Z = 98 Cf Californium

Californium — Electron Configuration

Atomic number 98 · Actinide series · Period 7 · f-block

[Rn] 5f¹⁰ 7s² 98 electrons 2 valence e⁻ (7s²) Synthetic actinide

Full Expanded Configuration

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p⁶ 5f¹⁰ 7s²

Noble-Gas Shorthand

[Rn] 5f¹⁰ 7s²

[Rn] = 86-electron radon core.

Electrons Beyond [Rn] Core

5f¹⁰ 7s²

12 electrons beyond the radon core (10 in 5f, 2 in 7s).

Subshell Breakdown

Subshell Type Electrons Capacity Notation
1s s orbital, shell n=1 2 2 1s²
2s s orbital, shell n=2 2 2 2s²
2p p orbitals, shell n=2 6 6 2p⁶
3s s orbital, shell n=3 2 2 3s²
3p p orbitals, shell n=3 6 6 3p⁶
3d d orbitals, shell n=3 10 10 3d¹⁰
4s s orbital, shell n=4 2 2 4s²
4p p orbitals, shell n=4 6 6 4p⁶
4d d orbitals, shell n=4 10 10 4d¹⁰
4f f orbitals, shell n=4 14 14 4f¹⁴
5s s orbital, shell n=5 2 2 5s²
5p p orbitals, shell n=5 6 6 5p⁶
5d d orbitals, shell n=5 10 10 5d¹⁰
6s s orbital, shell n=6 2 2 6s²
6p p orbitals, shell n=6 6 6 6p⁶
5f f orbitals, shell n=5 10 14 5f¹⁰
7s s orbital, shell n=7 2 2 7s²
Total 98

Valence subshells (5f and 7s) are highlighted. All others form the [Rn] core.

Shell Fill Summary

Shell 1 (n=1) — 1s² 2 / 2 electrons (100%)
Shell 2 (n=2) — 2s² 2p⁶ 8 / 8 electrons (100%)
Shell 3 (n=3) — 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 18 / 18 electrons (100%)
Shell 4 (n=4) — 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 32 / 32 electrons (100%)
Shell 5 (n=5) — 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 5f¹⁰ 28 / 32 electrons (88%)
Shell 6 (n=6) — 6s² 6p⁶ 8 / 32 electrons (25%)
Shell 7 (n=7) — 7s² 2 / 32 electrons (6%)
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Summary

Reference for californium's electron configuration: [Rn] 5f¹⁰ 7s² (full: 1s²…6p⁶ 5f¹⁰ 7s²). Includes orbital filling table, subshell breakdown, and element facts.

How it works

  1. Californium's 98 electrons fill orbitals in order of increasing energy following the Aufbau principle.
  2. Radon ([Rn], Z=86) provides the filled core: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p⁶.
  3. After the [Rn] core, the 12 remaining electrons fill the 5f and 7s subshells.
  4. The 5f subshell receives 10 electrons (out of a maximum 14), and the 7s subshell fills with 2 electrons.
  5. The resulting configuration [Rn] 5f¹⁰ 7s² gives californium 2 valence electrons in 7s plus 10 in the partially-filled 5f sublevel.
  6. Californium most commonly exhibits +3 and +2 oxidation states by losing valence electrons.

Use cases

  • Chemistry reference for students studying actinide or heavy-element configurations.
  • Verify the subshell filling pattern for elements in the 5f block.
  • Compare californium's configuration with neighboring actinides like curium and berkelium.
  • Understand valence electrons and oxidation states of synthetic transuranium elements.
  • Teaching aid for periodic trends, f-block filling, and heavy element chemistry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu