What is wrong (if anything) with the way the following electronic configurations are written
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The electronic configurations provided in the image appear to be written incorrectly. Let’s go over each one:
1. 1s² 2s² 3p² 7
- Issue:
The electron configuration “1s² 2s² 3p² 7” is not correct due to the notation used for the 3p orbital. The sublevel 3p can hold a maximum of six electrons (with the 3p orbital holding electrons from 3p¹ to 3p⁶).- The “7” at the end implies seven electrons in the 3p orbital, which is impossible since the maximum number of electrons that can occupy the 3p orbital is 6.
- Explanation:
The notation “3p²” suggests that two electrons are placed in the 3p orbital, but then the addition of “7” afterward contradicts the rules of electron configuration. The 3p orbital cannot hold more than six electrons.
2. 1s² 2s² 3s² 4s² 2p⁶ 3p⁶ 4p³ 3d¹⁰
- Issue:
The order of electron filling is wrong. According to the Aufbau principle (the principle that electrons fill atomic orbitals from lower to higher energy), the 3d orbital should be filled before the 4p orbital.- The 4s orbital is filled before the 3d orbital, which is correctly represented in this configuration. However, once the 4s and 3p orbitals are filled (as they are in this configuration), the 3d orbitals should be filled before the 4p orbital, not after.
- Explanation:
In the provided configuration, electrons are placed in the orbitals in an incorrect order based on their energy levels. The correct filling order based on energy considerations would be 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, and so on. The placement of 3d¹⁰ before 4p³ contradicts the proper electron configuration order.
In conclusion, the first configuration is incorrect due to the incorrect number of electrons in the 3p orbital, and the second configuration is wrong due to the incorrect order of filling orbitals (3d should be filled before 4p).
