Electron Configuration of Actinium (Ac)
Actinium (Ac, Z = 89) has the electron configuration [Rn] 6d¹ 7s², filling 7 shells with 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 9, 2 electrons.
Teachers call it "one fact, fully handled" — exactly what this page does for Actinium. The answer sits at the top in bold; scroll for the working, the shell-by-shell breakdown and the two questions students ask most. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Actinium page is one click away.
Actinium: every subshell, one by one
Start from 1s and follow the running total: this is exactly how examiners expect you to build Actinium's configuration on paper.
| Subshell | Electrons | Total so far |
|---|---|---|
| [Rn] | 0 | 86 |
| 6d | 1 | 87 |
| 7s | 2 | 89 |
Electrons per shell (K, L, M…)
Grouped by principal quantum number instead of subshell, Actinium carries 2 in shell 1, 8 in shell 2, 18 in shell 3, 32 in shell 4, 18 in shell 5, 9 in shell 6, 2 in shell 7. The outermost shell holds 2 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 89 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 Actinium that gives [Rn] 6d¹ 7s².
Note: Actinium 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 [Rn] 6d¹ 7s².
Students also ask
How many electron shells does Actinium have?
Actinium is in period 7, so its electrons occupy 7 shells, holding 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 9, 2 electrons respectively.
How many valence electrons does Actinium have?
Its outermost shell holds 2 electrons, so Actinium has 2 valence electrons that take part in bonding.
What is the noble-gas shorthand for Actinium?
The shorthand form is exactly [Rn] 6d¹ 7s².