Draw the ground-state electronic configuration for each of the following:
b. Ca²⁺

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Identify the atomic number of calcium (Ca), which is 20. This means a neutral calcium atom has 20 protons and 20 electrons.

Write the ground-state electronic configuration for a neutral calcium atom. The configuration is determined by filling orbitals in order of increasing energy: 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s², 3p⁶, 4s². Thus, the configuration for neutral calcium is:

{1s}^{2} {2s}^{2} {2p}^{6} {3s}^{2} {3p}^{6} {4s}^{2}

Recognize that Ca²⁺ is a calcium ion with a 2+ charge, meaning it has lost 2 electrons compared to the neutral atom.

Remove the two outermost electrons from the 4s orbital, as these are the highest-energy electrons. This leaves the configuration:

{1s}^{2} {2s}^{2} {2p}^{6} {3s}^{2} {3p}^{6}

Verify that the resulting configuration corresponds to a stable, noble gas configuration (argon, Ar), which is expected for Ca²⁺.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electron Configuration

Electron configuration describes the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals. It is represented using a notation that indicates the energy levels and sublevels occupied by electrons. For example, the electron configuration of a neutral calcium atom (Ca) is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s², which shows how electrons fill the available orbitals according to the Aufbau principle.

Ion Formation

Ion formation occurs when an atom gains or loses electrons, resulting in a charged particle. In the case of Ca²⁺, calcium loses two electrons from its outermost shell, leading to a positive charge. Understanding how ions are formed is crucial for determining the electron configuration of ions compared to their neutral atoms.

Ground-State Configuration

The ground-state configuration refers to the lowest energy arrangement of electrons in an atom or ion. For Ca²⁺, the ground-state configuration is derived from the neutral calcium configuration by removing the two outermost electrons. This results in a configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p⁶, which corresponds to the electron arrangement of the noble gas argon.

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