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Electron Configuration Notation

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Electron configuration notation lists each occupied subshell as its principal quantum number, subshell letter, and a superscript electron count, in filling order.

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Oxygen's electron configuration, 1s²2s²2p⁴, shows two electrons in 1s, two in 2s, and four in 2p, for a total of eight.

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The superscripts in electron configuration notation are electron counts, not exponents — never multiplied or raised to a power.