What is the Noble gas notation of sulfur (S)?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The noble gas notation for sulfur (S) is: [Ne] 3s² 3p⁴.
Explanation:
Noble gas notation is a shorthand way of representing the electron configuration of an atom by using the symbol of the nearest preceding noble gas. The noble gas symbol represents all the electrons up to that point, and then we write the remaining electron configuration for the specific element.
Step-by-step process for sulfur (S):
- Atomic Number of Sulfur (S):
Sulfur has an atomic number of 16, meaning it has 16 electrons. - Electron Configuration:
The electron configuration can be broken down into shells and subshells:
- The first shell can hold up to 2 electrons, so it will contain 2 electrons in the 1s subshell: 1s².
- The second shell can hold up to 8 electrons. The 2s subshell gets 2 electrons, and the 2p subshell gets 6 electrons, totaling 8: 2s² 2p⁶.
- The third shell also holds a maximum of 8 electrons. The 3s subshell holds 2 electrons: 3s², and the remaining 4 electrons go into the 3p subshell: 3p⁴. Therefore, the full electron configuration for sulfur is:
[
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴
]
- Using Noble Gas Notation:
The closest noble gas preceding sulfur in the periodic table is neon (Ne), which has an atomic number of 10. Neon has the electron configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶. This configuration represents the first 10 electrons of sulfur. Thus, the noble gas notation for sulfur is:
[
[Ne] 3s² 3p⁴
] This shorthand representation tells us that sulfur has the same electron configuration as neon, plus 4 more electrons in the 3p orbital.
Why is this notation useful?
Noble gas notation simplifies the electron configuration, especially for elements with many electrons. By using the symbol for the nearest noble gas, we avoid repeatedly writing out long electron configurations for the core electrons and focus on the electrons in the outermost shell, which are crucial for understanding an element’s chemical behavior.