Question

multiple choice

1. potassium ion has the same electron configuration as which noble gas?

☐ helium
☐ argon
☐ krypton
☐ neon

Explanation:

Potassium (K) has an atomic number of 19, so a potassium atom has 19 electrons. The potassium ion (\(K^+\)) is formed when potassium loses one electron, so it has \(19 - 1 = 18\) electrons. Argon (Ar) has an atomic number of 18, meaning it has 18 electrons. So the electron configuration of \(K^+\) matches that of argon. Helium has 2 electrons, neon has 10, and krypton has 36, so they don't match.

Answer:

B. argon (assuming the options are labeled with A: helium, B: argon, C: krypton, D: neon)