What is the electronic configuration of the boron atom
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The electron configuration of the boron atom (B), which has an atomic number of 5, can be written as:
1s² 2s² 2p¹
Explanation:
The electron configuration describes how electrons are arranged in the atomic orbitals of an atom. The atomic number of boron is 5, which means it has five electrons. These electrons are arranged in the following way:
- 1s²: The first energy level (n = 1) can hold up to two electrons, and both of these electrons fill the 1s orbital. So, the first two electrons go into the 1s orbital, written as 1s².
- 2s²: The second energy level (n = 2) starts to fill next. The 2s orbital can hold up to two electrons, and boron has two electrons in this orbital, written as 2s².
- 2p¹: The remaining electron (since boron has five electrons in total) will occupy the 2p orbital. The 2p orbital can hold up to six electrons, but boron has only one electron in this orbital, so we write it as 2p¹.
Thus, the full electron configuration of boron is 1s² 2s² 2p¹, which shows that boron has a total of five electrons, with the first two electrons in the 1s orbital, the next two in the 2s orbital, and the remaining one in the 2p orbital.
The electron configuration follows the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill orbitals starting from the lowest energy level and move to higher levels only when the lower ones are filled. Additionally, the Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of quantum numbers, and Hund’s rule explains that electrons will occupy degenerate orbitals (orbitals with the same energy) singly before pairing up.
