Multiple Choice
When electrons in an atom become 'excited,' what typically occurs?
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10. Periodic Properties of the Elements
The Electron Configuration
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Which of the following is the correct electron configuration for a manganese (Mn) atom in its ground state?
A
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^5
B
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^1 3d^5
C
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^6
D
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^1 3d^6
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Identify the atomic number of manganese (Mn), which is 25. This means a neutral Mn atom has 25 electrons to be placed in orbitals according to the Aufbau principle.
Step 2: Recall the order of orbital filling based on increasing energy levels: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, then 3d. Electrons fill lower energy orbitals first before moving to higher ones.
Step 3: Fill the orbitals with electrons following the order and the maximum number of electrons each orbital can hold: 1s (2), 2s (2), 2p (6), 3s (2), 3p (6), 4s (2), and then 3d (up to 10).
Step 4: After filling the 4s orbital with 2 electrons, place the remaining electrons in the 3d orbitals. Since Mn has 25 electrons, after filling up to 4s^2, place the remaining 5 electrons in 3d orbitals.
Step 5: Recognize that the ground state electron configuration for Mn is the one with 4s^2 and 3d^5, reflecting a half-filled d subshell which is particularly stable. This matches the configuration: $1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^5$.
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