Can electrostatic forces explain electron configurations?
I’ve been studying basic atomic structure– shells, subshells, orbitals, the four quantum numbers, the periodic table, etc. This is in a chemistry book, but if my question belongs in the physics forum please let me know. I’ve seen diagrams of “atomic structure” that show arrangements of electrons: 1s2, 2p2, 2p6 etc. and I understand how the configurations are derived from the quantum numbers. I am curious if the distribution of electrons can be explained in terms of electrostatic forces. That is, if you made a 3-d computer model of point charges around a larger central charge, would you find stable configurations that correspond to anything like the electron configurations you get from the four quantum numbers? I suppose the spin number doesn’t fit, but how about n, l, and m? I hope this question makes sense. What I am really wondering is if atoms can be “explained away” in terms of more basic forces (i.e. electrostatic and strong nuclear to hold the nucleus together), or is an atom mo
