Electron Configuration Definition

Chemistry Glossary Definition of Electron Configuration

This diagram of a lithium atom indicates its electron configuration.
This diagram of a lithium atom indicates its electron configuration. Greg Robson, Creative Commons License
by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
Updated March 06, 2017

Electron Configuration Definition: ​

A statement describing the populations of electronic energy sublevels of an atom. See the chart of electronic configurations to get the notation for all of the elements.

Example: ​

The electronic configuration of the lithium atom is 1s22s, which indicates there are two electrons in the 1s sublevel and one electron in the 2s energy sublevel.