1. Determine the Electron Configuration:
* The electron configuration of arsenic is: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p³
2. Understand Orbital Shapes and Filling Rules:
* s orbitals: Hold a maximum of 2 electrons, represented as a single circle.
* p orbitals: Hold a maximum of 6 electrons, represented as three circles (px, py, pz)
* d orbitals: Hold a maximum of 10 electrons, represented as five circles (dxy, dxz, dyz, dx²-y², dz²)
* Hund's Rule: Electrons fill orbitals individually before pairing up within a subshell.
* Aufbau Principle: Electrons fill orbitals in order of increasing energy levels.
3. Construct the Diagram:
```
1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 4s 3d 4p
┌─┐ ┌─┐ ┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐ ┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐
│↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓││↑↓│
└─┘ └─┘ └─┘└─┘└─┘ └─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘└─┘
↑ ↑ ↑
px py pz
```
Explanation:
* 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d: These orbitals are filled completely with two electrons each.
* 4p: This subshell has three electrons. We use Hund's Rule, placing one electron in each of the p orbitals (px, py, pz) before pairing up.
Important Note:
The orbital diagram only represents the filling of atomic orbitals for an isolated arsenic atom. In molecules or compounds, the electron configuration and orbital diagrams can be different due to bonding.
