What is the electron configuration of titanium?

Titanium (Ti, Z=22) has the ground-state configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d² 4s². All 22 electrons are distributed across five principal subshells.

What is the noble-gas shorthand for titanium?

The condensed notation is [Ar] 3d² 4s², where [Ar] represents the filled 18-electron argon core (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶).

Why does the 4s subshell fill before 3d?

In the Aufbau filling order, 4s is slightly lower in energy than 3d for neutral atoms up to calcium. From scandium onward the 3d starts filling, but 4s is listed after 3d in some notations; 4s² still appears above 3d² in the ground state of titanium.

How many valence electrons does titanium have?

Titanium has 4 valence electrons — 2 in the 4s subshell and 2 in the 3d subshell — which explains its common +4 oxidation state.

What block and period is titanium in?

Titanium is in Period 4, Group 4, and belongs to the d-block (transition metals) of the periodic table.

Does titanium have any electron configuration anomaly?

No. Titanium follows the standard Aufbau order ([Ar] 3d² 4s²) without anomaly. Its neighbors chromium (3d⁵ 4s¹) and copper (3d¹⁰ 4s¹) are the famous d-block anomalies due to half-filled and fully-filled d-subshell stability.

Titanium Electron Configuration

Name: Titanium Electron Configuration
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Author: Nham Vu

Interactive reference for titanium's electron configuration (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d² 4s²), orbital diagram, and key atomic properties.

Z = 22 Ti Titanium

Titanium — Electron Configuration

Atomic number 22 · Transition metal · Period 4, Group 4 · d-block

[Ar] 3d² 4s² 22 electrons 4 valence e⁻ d-block

Subshell Breakdown

Subshell	Type	Electrons	Max Capacity	Notation
1s	s orbital, shell n=1	2	2	1s²
2s	s orbital, shell n=2	2	2	2s²
2p	p orbital, shell n=2	6	6	2p⁶
3s	s orbital, shell n=3	2	2	3s²
3p	p orbital, shell n=3	6	6	3p⁶
3d	d orbital, shell n=3 (valence)	2	10	3d²
4s	s orbital, shell n=4 (valence)	2	2	4s²
Total		22

Full Configuration

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d² 4s²

All seven subshells written explicitly.

Noble-Gas Shorthand

[Ar] 3d² 4s²

[Ar] = 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ (18-electron argon 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 3d² 10 / 18 electrons (56%)

Shell 4 (n=4) — 4s² 2 / 32 electrons (6%)

Shell 3 can hold 18 electrons (3s + 3p + 3d). Titanium uses 10 of those 18 slots. Shell 4 is just beginning to fill — only the 4s pair is present.

Orbital Box Diagram

2 electrons — filled

6 electrons — filled

2 electrons — filled

6 electrons — filled

2 electrons — valence

—

2 / 10 electrons — valence (Hund's rule: parallel spins)

Boxes with a blue border are the partially-filled 3d valence orbitals. Hund's rule requires the two 3d electrons to occupy separate orbitals with the same spin direction before pairing occurs.

Valence Electron Quantum Numbers

Electrons 19–22 (outermost 4)

Electron #	n (shell)	l (subshell)	mₗ	mₛ (spin)	Subshell
19	4	0	0	+½	4s
20	4	0	0	−½	4s
21	3	2	−2	+½	3d
22	3	2	−1	+½	3d

Electrons 1–18 fill the argon core [Ar] with standard Aufbau order. Shown here are the four outermost electrons that define titanium's chemistry.

Summary

Interactive reference for titanium's electron configuration (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d² 4s²), orbital diagram, and key atomic properties.

How it works

The Aufbau principle fills orbitals from lowest to highest energy (1s → 2s → 2p → 3s → 3p → 4s → 3d …).
Titanium's 22 electrons fill through the argon core (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶) then continue with 4s² and 3d².
The 3d subshell has 5 orbitals; titanium's 2 d-electrons occupy two of them with parallel spins (Hund's rule).
Noble-gas notation compresses the inner 18-electron argon core to [Ar], leaving [Ar] 3d² 4s².
The orbital box diagram shows each electron as an up or down arrow, following the Pauli exclusion principle.
Use the tabs below to explore the configuration table, orbital diagram, and element fact sheet.

Use cases

Quick reference for chemistry homework or exam review on transition metals.
Visualize Hund's rule and d-orbital filling for a real element.
Understand why titanium has a +4 (and common +3, +2) oxidation state.
Compare d-block filling order across Period 4 elements.
Teaching aid for atomic structure and electron configuration lessons.
Reference for materials science students studying titanium alloys.
Cross-check noble-gas shorthand notation for first-row transition metals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-18 · Reviewed by Nham Vu