Question

Identify the atom that has each ground-state electron configuration. (a) \(1 s^{2} 2 s^{2} 2 p^{6} 3 s^{2} 3 p^{4}\) (b) \(1 s^{2} 2 s^{2} 2 p^{4}\)

Short answer

#Question# Based on their ground-state electron configurations, identify the following atoms: a) 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴ b) 1s² 2s² 2p⁴ #Answer# a) Sulfur (S) b) Oxygen (O)

Step-by-step solution

(a) Counting electrons for first atom

Let's first count the total number of electrons for the first atom. The electron configuration is given as \(1 s^{2} 2 s^{2} 2 p^{6} 3 s^{2} 3 p^{4}\). Sum the exponents in the configuration: \(2+2+6+2+4 = 16\). So, the first atom has 16 electrons.

(b) Counting electrons for second atom

Now, let's count the total number of electrons for the second atom. The electron configuration is given as \(1 s^{2} 2 s^{2} 2 p^{4}\). Sum the exponents in the configuration: \(2+2+4 = 8\). So, the second atom has 8 electrons. **Step 2: Compare the number of electrons to atomic numbers of elements in the periodic table** The number of electrons in a neutral atom is equal to its atomic number (i.e., the number of protons in the nucleus).

(a) Identifying first atom

We found that the first atom has 16 electrons, which means its atomic number is also 16. Referring to the periodic table, we can see that the element with atomic number 16 is sulfur (S). Therefore, the first atom is a sulfur atom.

(b) Identifying second atom

We found that the second atom has 8 electrons, which means its atomic number is also 8. Referring to the periodic table, we can see that the element with atomic number 8 is oxygen (O). Therefore, the second atom is an oxygen atom. In summary, the atoms with the given ground-state electron configurations are: a) Sulfur (S) b) Oxygen (O)