Question

give the complete electron configuration for sulfur. do not use the noble gas abbreviation.
s has 1 electrons
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 2 3
a. 10 b. 12 c. 14 d. 16 e. 18 f. 36 g. 38 h. 39
i. 40 j. 3p⁶ k. 3p⁴ l. 3s² m. 3d¹⁰ n. 4d¹ o. 4s²
p. 4p⁶ q. 5s² r. 5s⁰ s. 4d⁰ t. 4d³ u. 5s¹ v. 3p⁵

Explanation:

Step1: Determine sulfur's atomic number

Sulfur (S) has an atomic number of 16. In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the atomic number. So S has 16 electrons.

Step2: Fill electron - orbitals

After filling 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ (which accounts for 2 + 2+6 = 10 electrons), the next orbitals to fill are 3s and 3p. First, we fill the 3s orbital with 2 electrons (3s²), and then we fill the 3p orbital. Since we need to account for 16 - 10=6 more electrons, and the p - orbital can hold a maximum of 6 electrons, and sulfur has 6 more electrons to place after the 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ configuration, the remaining configuration is 3s² 3p⁴.

Answer:

1. D. 16
2. L. 3s²
3. K. 3p⁴