Question

Identify the element with the electronic configuration 1s21p4?

Answer 1

Consider the element sulfur (S) with an atomic number of 16. This means that sulfur has 16 electrons. The electronic configuration of sulfur can be derived by filling the orbitals with electrons in order of increasing energy.

The full electronic configuration of sulfur (S) is written as:

\[ 1s^2 \, 2s^2 \, 2p^6 \, 3s^2 \, 3p^4 \]

Now, let’s break it down step-by-step:

Step 1: Filling the 1s orbital - The first two electrons occupy the lowest energy orbital, which is the 1s orbital. This gives: \[ 1s^2 \]

Step 2: Filling the 2s orbital - The next two electrons go into the 2s orbital: \[ 2s^2 \]

Step 3: Filling the 2p orbital - The next six electrons go into the 2p orbital: \[ 2p^6 \]

Step 4: Filling the 3s orbital - The next two electrons occupy the 3s orbital: \[ 3s^2 \]

Step 5: Filling the 3p orbital - The remaining four electrons are placed in the 3p orbital: \[ 3p^4 \]

So, the complete electronic configuration of sulfur is:

\[ 1s^2 \, 2s^2 \, 2p^6 \, 3s^2 \, 3p^4 \]

Therefore, the electron distribution follows the order of increasing energy levels, starting from the lowest energy 1s orbital and progressing to the higher energy 3p orbital, while respecting the maximum electron occupancy for each orbital type (2 electrons for s orbitals, and 6 electrons for p orbitals).