What's electron configuration of ions?

Predict the ground-state electron configuration of the following ions. Write your answers in abbreviated form?

• Predict the ground-state electron configuration of the following ions. Write your answers in abbreviated form, that is, beginning with a noble gas in brackets. : W3+ : [Xe] then i ...show more

• Answer:

  http://www.webelements.com/tungsten/ Ground state electron configuration: [Xe].4f14.5d4.6s2 First, we need to figure out which three electrons are lost. The first two will be from the 6s orbital, and because the 4f orbital is filled and are are not normally valence electrons "... the f orbitals are deeply buried beneath the valence shell and they rarely play an important role in chemical change or bonding...." http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/electrons/faq/f-orbital-shapes.shtml This means that the third electron comes from the 3d orbital, so the configuration for W^3+should be w^3+ [Xe].4f14.5d3