Electronic configuration of boron

Electrons in each shell

Boron has 5 electrons arranged as 2, 3 across 2 shells, which is why it sits in period 2.

How to write it

Electrons fill orbitals in order of increasing energy: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p… Each s orbital holds 2 electrons, p holds 6 and d holds 10. Placing Boron's 5 electrons in that order gives 1s² 2s² 2p¹.

Boron at a glance

Atomic number	5
Symbol	B
Atomic mass	10.81 u
Group	13
Period	2
Block	p-block
Category	Metalloid
Valence electrons	3

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Other elements in group 13

Elements in the same group have the same number of outer electrons, which is why they behave alike.