Electron Configuration of Palladium (Pd)
Palladium (Pd, Z = 46) has the electron configuration [Kr] 4d¹⁰, filling 4 shells with 2, 8, 18, 18 electrons.
This is the fast lane: one page, one fact, zero digressions. Read the quick answer, check the table, and if your exam needs the full derivation, the sections below walk through it step by step — in Bangla and English, like every page here. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Palladium page is one click away.
Palladium: every subshell, one by one
The table below unpacks [Kr] 4d¹⁰ line by line, so you can watch Palladium's 46 electrons take their seats in order of increasing energy.
| Subshell | Electrons | Total so far |
|---|---|---|
| [Kr] | 0 | 36 |
| 4d | 10 | 46 |
Electrons per shell (K, L, M…)
Grouped by principal quantum number instead of subshell, Palladium carries 2 in shell 1, 8 in shell 2, 18 in shell 3, 18 in shell 4. The outermost shell holds 18 electrons — the ones that do all the bonding.
How to derive it yourself
Follow the aufbau order (1s → 2s → 2p → 3s → 3p → 4s → 3d → …), pouring 46 electrons into orbitals of capacity 2 (s), 6 (p), 10 (d) and 14 (f) until none remain. Write the filled inner shells as the nearest noble-gas core — for Palladium that gives [Kr] 4d¹⁰.
Note: Palladium is one of the textbook exceptions to strict aufbau filling — a half-filled or fully-filled d subshell buys extra stability, so its ground-state configuration is [Kr] 4d¹⁰.
Students also ask
How many electron shells does Palladium have?
Palladium is in period 5, so its electrons occupy 4 shells, holding 2, 8, 18, 18 electrons respectively.
How many valence electrons does Palladium have?
Its outermost shell holds 18 electrons, so Palladium has 18 valence electrons that take part in bonding.
What is the noble-gas shorthand for Palladium?
The shorthand form is exactly [Kr] 4d¹⁰.