Electron Config of Helium

Helium has atomic number 2, meaning it has 2 electrons to arrange across its orbitals. Its ground-state electron configuration is:

Full notation: `1s²`

Shorthand notation: `1s²`

This configuration places Helium in the S-block of the periodic table — Period 1, Group 18. The last subshell filled (the s subshell) determines its block.

SPDF notation tells you exactly: which subshell each electron occupies, how many electrons are in it, and the energy level of each group. This is far more detail than the simpler Bohr model, which only shows shell totals.

The Aufbau (building-up) principle states electrons fill the lowest available energy subshell first. For Helium (Z=2), the filling stops at the 1s² subshell.

Standard Aufbau sequence:

1s → 2s → 2p → 3s → 3p → 4s → 3d → 4p → 5s → 4d → 5p → 6s → 4f → 5d → 6p → 7s → 5f → 6d → 7p

After filling, Helium's configuration ends at 1s², with 2 valence electrons in its outermost subshell.

The orbital diagram of Helium expands the configuration 1s² into individual orbital boxes:

- Each s subshell holds max 2 electrons (1 orbital)

- Each p subshell holds max 6 electrons (3 orbitals)

- Each d subshell holds max 10 electrons (5 orbitals)

- Each f subshell holds max 14 electrons (7 orbitals)

Hund's Rule dictates that within any subshell, electrons fill each orbital singly (spin up ↑) before pairing. This avoids electron–electron repulsion. Helium's S-block placement confirms its last orbitals are s type.

The interactive diagram above shows Helium's complete subshell breakdown with orbital boxes for every energy level.

Follow these steps to write Helium's electron configuration from scratch:

Step 1: Identify the atomic number: Z = 2 — this is the total number of electrons to place.

Step 2: Follow the Aufbau sequence, filling the lowest energy subshells first:

> 1s → 2s → 2p → 3s → 3p → 4s → 3d → 4p → ...

Step 3: Apply Hund's Rule inside each subshell — one electron per orbital before pairing begins.

Step 4: Apply the Pauli Exclusion Principle — each orbital holds at most 2 electrons with opposite spins.

Step 5: After filling all 2 electrons, your result should match:

> 1s²

Shorthand: Replace the preceding noble gas core with its symbol:

> 1s²

Helium has 2 valence electrons — the electrons in its highest occupied principal energy level.

As a S-block element, Helium's valence electrons reside in s orbitals. These are the only electrons involved in chemical bonding.

| Block | Type | Max Valence e⁻ |

|---|---|---|

| s-block | Groups 1–2 | 1–2 |

| p-block | Groups 13–18 | 3–8 |

| d-block | Groups 3–12 | up to 10 |

| f-block | Lanthanides/Actinides | up to 14 |

Helium sits in this table as a s-block element with 2 valence electrons.

→ See Helium's valence electrons in the Bohr model for the shell-based view.

→ Electronegativity of Helium — how strongly it attracts these electrons.