Question

q1 chemistry: u2l15 electron config day 5 as a laxative. the pill they took made of this element passed through their digestive tracks, and it was recovered after passing, cleaned, and used again, giving it the name \the everlasting pill.\ which of the following electron configurations represents the most likely metal used in this \everlasting pill\? explain, and identify the element in your response. a. kr5s²4d¹⁰5p³ b. xe6s²4f¹⁴5d¹⁰6p⁴ c. ne3s²3p² 4. **element a and b are two elements that have similar properties. they are both soft enough to be cut with a knife, but when you place them in a sample of water, they react violently. initially, the samples are lustrous (shiny), but after sitting out in the air for a while, the samples turn dull - gray in color as they react with oxygen. which pair most likely represents these 2 elements, and how do you know? element a set 1 1s²2s²2p⁶3s¹ set 2 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁴ set 3 1s²2s²2p⁵ element b 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶4s²3d¹⁰4p⁶5s¹ 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁵ 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁵ 5. a semiconductor material has an electrical conductivity falling between that of a conductor, like copper, and an insulator, like glass. as a semiconductor increases in temperature, its resistance (measure of the difficulty to pass an electric current through) decreases. semiconductors are found in laptops, scanners, and cell phones. in class, you learn that a common semiconductor is silicon. your teacher asks what another semiconductor might be, and she calls on 2 students. read their responses below and evaluate. • student a: i think another semiconducting material might be phosphorus. it is in the same row as silicon, so it has a similar electron configuration - ne3s²3p² for silicon and ne3s²3p² for phosphorus. • student b: i disagree - i think another semiconductor might be germanium. this element is in the same family as silicon and therefore has the same number of valence electrons (4 e -).

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze electron - configurations for the "Everlasting Pill"

We need a metal that is relatively inert in the digestive system. Metals in group 12 are often less reactive. The electron - configuration [Kr]5s²4d¹⁰5p³ corresponds to antimony (Sb), a metalloid; [Xe]6s²4f¹⁴5d¹⁰6p⁴ corresponds to polonium (Po), a radioactive element; [Ne]3s²3p² corresponds to silicon (Si), a metalloid. None of these are typical unreactive metals for this use - case. However, if we consider the properties of metals, we note that the description implies a non - reactive metal. But based on the given options, there is no perfect metal match. But if we assume we are looking for a relatively stable element, we analyze further.

Step2: Analyze elements with similar properties in question 4

Elements that are soft, reactive with water and oxygen are alkali metals. The electron - configuration 1s²2s²2p⁶3s¹ is for sodium (Na) and 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶4s²3d¹⁰4p⁶5s¹ is for rubidium (Rb). These are alkali metals which match the described properties.

Step3: Evaluate semiconductor answers in question 5

Student A is incorrect because the electron - configuration of phosphorus is [Ne]3s²3p³, not [Ne]3s²3p². Silicon has an electron - configuration of [Ne]3s²3p². Student B is correct as germanium (Ge) is in the same group as silicon in the periodic table (group 14) and has 4 valence electrons, making it a semiconductor like silicon.

Answer:

1. No ideal answer for the "Everlasting Pill" from the given options.
2. Set 1 represents the correct pair of elements. Element A is sodium (Na) with electron - configuration 1s²2s²2p⁶3s¹ and Element B is rubidium (Rb) with electron - configuration 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶4s²3d¹⁰4p⁶5s¹.
3. Student B is correct. Germanium is a semiconductor as it is in the same group as silicon and has 4 valence electrons.