Multiple Choice
How many electron shells are present in a neutral potassium (K) atom?
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10. Periodic Properties of the Elements
The Electron Configuration
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Which element has a ground state electron configuration of [Ar] 4s2 3d10?
A
Ga
B
Ni
C
Zn
D
Cu
Verified step by step guidance1
Identify the noble gas core in the electron configuration. Here, [Ar] represents the electron configuration of Argon, which accounts for the first 18 electrons.
Look at the electrons beyond the Argon core: 4s\^2 3d\^10. This means there are 2 electrons in the 4s subshell and 10 electrons in the 3d subshell.
Sum the electrons beyond Argon: 2 (from 4s) + 10 (from 3d) = 12 electrons. Adding these to Argon's 18 electrons gives a total of 30 electrons.
Determine the element with atomic number 30, since the number of electrons in a neutral atom equals its atomic number.
Recall that the element with atomic number 30 is Zinc (Zn), which matches the given electron configuration.
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