Question

Write and compare the ground-state electron configurations for each pair of elements. (a) Carbon and silicon (b) Oxygen and sulfur (c) Nitrogen and phosphorus

Short answer

Question: Compare the ground-state electron configurations of the following pairs of elements and determine their similarities: (a) Carbon and Silicon, (b) Oxygen and Sulfur, and (c) Nitrogen and Phosphorus. Answer: (a) Carbon and Silicon both have valence electron configurations of 2s^2 2p^2 and 3s^2 3p^2, respectively, and belong to Group 14 in the periodic table, resulting in similar chemical properties. (b) Oxygen and Sulfur share valence electron configurations of 2s^2 2p^4 and 3s^2 3p^4, respectively, and belong to Group 16, exhibiting similar chemical properties. (c) Nitrogen and Phosphorus have the same valence electron configurations relative to their energy levels, 2s^2 2p^3 and 3s^2 3p^3, respectively, belonging to Group 15, and thus display similar chemical properties.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the atomic number of the element

Firstly, we need to determine the atomic number (number of protons and electrons) for each element. By looking at the periodic table, we see that Carbon has atomic number 6, Silicon 14, Oxygen 8, Sulfur 16, Nitrogen 7, and Phosphorus 15.

Write electron configurations

Now, we have to write the electron configuration for each element using the aufbau principle and orbital notations. For Carbon: Atomic number = 6 1s^2 2s^2 2p^2 For Silicon: Atomic number = 14 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^2 For Oxygen: Atomic number = 8 1s^2 2s^2 2p^4 For Sulfur: Atomic number = 16 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^4 For Nitrogen: Atomic number = 7 1s^2 2s^2 2p^3 For Phosphorus: Atomic number = 15 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3

Compare the electron configurations

(a) Carbon: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^2 Silicon: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^2 Comparing these two electron configurations, both Carbon and Silicon have the same valence electron configuration, which is 2s^2 2p^2 and 3s^2 3p^2, respectively. Both belong to Group 14 (IV) in the periodic table and have similar chemical properties. (b) Oxygen: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^4 Sulfur: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^4 Both Oxygen and Sulfur share the same valence electron configuration relative to their respective energy levels, 2s^2 2p^4 for Oxygen and 3s^2 3p^4 for Sulfur. They belong to Group 16 (VI) in the periodic table, and thus exhibit similar chemical properties. (c) Nitrogen: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^3 Phosphorus: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3 Nitrogen and Phosphorus have the same valence electron configurations relative to their energy levels, specifically 2s^2 2p^3 for Nitrogen and 3s^2 3p^3 for Phosphorus. They belong to Group 15 (V) in the periodic table and have similar chemical properties.