Physical · Atomic Structure & Term Symbols
Atomic Term Symbols
Exam-focused revision notes on Atomic Term Symbols for CSIR-NET Chemical Sciences, GATE Chemistry and IIT-JAM — the core concepts, the formulas worth memorising, the traps that cost marks, and a quick-recall table.
Filling the orbitals first
For lighter atoms the individual orbital angular momenta couple to give total L, and the spins couple to give total S; then L and S couple to give total J.
What this note covers
- 1Filling the orbitals first
- 2Russell–Saunders (LS) coupling
- 3Term symbol notation
- 4Ground-state term via Hund's rules (in order)
- 5Counting microstates
- 6Worked examples
- 7Selection rules (atomic transitions)
- 8Common traps students miss
- 930-second recall table
Read the full note
The remaining 8 sections — including the worked examples, the common-traps list and the quick-recall table — are part of ChemVidya Full Access, along with 6,000+ practice questions.
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