Hund's Rule

Definition

Hund's Rule states that electrons will occupy empty orbitals in the same sublevel before they pair up in the same orbital.

Related terms

Electron Configuration:

The distribution of electrons of an atom or molecule (or other physical structure) in atomic or molecular orbitals.

Orbital: A region around the nucleus of an atom where there is a high probability of finding an electron.

Sublevel: An energy level defined by quantum theory. In chemistry, sublevels refer to energies associated with electrons.