Multiple Choice
Which of the following is the complete electron configuration for calcium (atomic number 20)?
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10. Periodic Properties of the Elements
The Electron Configuration
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Which of the following represents the complete ground state electron configuration for a zinc (Zn) atom?
A
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 4p^2
B
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^{10}
C
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^8
D
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^{10} 4p^2
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Identify the atomic number of zinc (Zn), which is 30. This means a neutral zinc atom has 30 electrons to be arranged in its electron configuration.
Step 2: Recall the order of filling electron orbitals according to the Aufbau principle, which is generally: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, and so on.
Step 3: Begin filling the orbitals with electrons following the order and the maximum number of electrons each subshell can hold: s (2 electrons), p (6 electrons), d (10 electrons).
Step 4: For zinc, after filling up to 3p (which accounts for 18 electrons), place 2 electrons in 4s, then fill the 3d subshell with the remaining 10 electrons to reach a total of 30 electrons.
Step 5: Write the complete ground state electron configuration by listing all filled subshells with their electron counts in the correct order, ensuring the 3d subshell is fully filled before moving to 4p.
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