Naming Elements

[ali_boutrosdisc3H]

How do you know if the p or d
orbital should be listed first? for example, if you were naming Zr?

[vsyacoubian2A]

The d orbital should be listed first in the given scenario. The p orbital occurs in the p block, whereas Zr, for example, hasn't reached the p block in the 5th energy level. Zr is in the d block, past the s block. In general, just follow the blocks of the periodic table from left to right, and it should tell you which comes first.

Therefore, the configuration for Zr should be [Kr] 4d^2 5s^2

Hope that helps!