Copper

Properties of copper atoms

Ionisation Energies and electron affinity

The electron affinity of copper is 118.4  kJ mol^-1. The ionisation energies of copper are given below.

Electronic configuration

The following represents the electronic configuration and its associated term symbol for the ground state neutral gaseous atom. The configuration associated with copper in its compounds is not necessarily the same.

• Ground state electron configuration:  [Ar].3d¹⁰.4s¹
• Shell structure:  2.8.18.1
• Term symbol:   ²S_1/2

A schematic representation of the shell structure of copper - not what the atom of copper "looks like".

WebElements Shop

WebElements now has a WebElements shop at which you can buy periodic table posters, mugs, T-shirts, games, molecular models, and more.