Question

Write the ground-state electron configuration for each atom. After each atom is its atomic number in parentheses. (a) Sodium (11) (b) Magnesium (12) (c) Oxygen (8) (d) Nitrogen (7)

Short answer

Answer: The ground-state electron configurations for these elements are as follows: - Sodium (Na): 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^1 - Magnesium (Mg): 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 - Oxygen (O): 1s^2 2s^2 2p^4 - Nitrogen (N): 1s^2 2s^2 2p^3

Step-by-step solution

Sodium electron configuration

For Sodium (Na) with 11 electrons: 1. Fill the 1s orbital first: 1s^2 (2 electrons) 2. Fill the 2s orbital: 2s^2 (2 electrons) 3. Fill the 2p orbital: 2p^6 (6 electrons) 4. The last electron will go to the 3s orbital: 3s^1 (1 electron) The electron configuration for Sodium is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^1.

Magnesium electron configuration

For Magnesium (Mg) with 12 electrons: 1. Fill the 1s orbital first: 1s^2 (2 electrons) 2. Fill the 2s orbital: 2s^2 (2 electrons) 3. Fill the 2p orbital: 2p^6 (6 electrons) 4. Fill the 3s orbital: 3s^2 (2 electrons) The electron configuration for Magnesium is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2.

Oxygen electron configuration

For Oxygen (O) with 8 electrons: 1. Fill the 1s orbital first: 1s^2 (2 electrons) 2. Fill the 2s orbital: 2s^2 (2 electrons) 3. Fill the 2p orbital with the remaining 4 electrons: 2p^4 (4 electrons) The electron configuration for Oxygen is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^4.

Nitrogen electron configuration

For Nitrogen (N) with 7 electrons: 1. Fill the 1s orbital first: 1s^2 (2 electrons) 2. Fill the 2s orbital: 2s^2 (2 electrons) 3. Fill the 2p orbital with the remaining 3 electrons: 2p^3 (3 electrons) The electron configuration for Nitrogen is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^3.