Multiple Choice
Which of the following is the correct ground-state electron configuration for gallium (Ga; Z = 31)?
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10. Periodic Properties of the Elements
The Electron Configuration
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The sulfur atom has 16 electrons. What is the correct electron configuration for sulfur?
A
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6
B
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^4
C
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3d^4
D
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^2
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Identify the total number of electrons in a sulfur atom, which is 16, since sulfur's atomic number is 16.
Step 2: Recall the order in which electron orbitals are filled according to the Aufbau principle: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, and so on.
Step 3: Begin filling the orbitals with electrons, starting from the lowest energy level: fill 1s with 2 electrons, then 2s with 2 electrons, followed by 2p with 6 electrons, then 3s with 2 electrons.
Step 4: After filling the 3s orbital, place the remaining electrons in the 3p orbital. Since 2 + 2 + 6 + 2 = 12 electrons are already placed, subtract this from 16 to find how many electrons go into 3p: 16 - 12 = 4 electrons.
Step 5: Write the full electron configuration by combining all filled orbitals: $1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^4$, which correctly accounts for all 16 electrons in sulfur.
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