Question

What element contains the electron configuration 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d8 ?

Answer 1

Answer: The element having given electronic configuration is palladium.

Explanation:

Electronic configuration is defined as the representation of electrons around the nucleus of an atom. This representation also helps in the determination of atomic number of an element.

We are given:

Electronic configuration of unknown metal:  $1s^22s^22p^63s^23p^64s^23d^{10}4p^65s^24d^8$

Total number of electrons present in the atom = [2 + 2 + 6 + 2 + 6 + 2 + 10 + 6 + 2 + 8] = 46

The element having atomic number 46 is palladium.

Hence, the element having given electronic configuration is palladium.

Answer 2

For better representation, the electronic configuration is written as:

1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶4s²3d¹⁰4p⁶5s²4d⁸

The letters s, p, d and f are subshells while the number coefficients represent the energy levels. Each subshell holds a specific maximum number of electrons, which is represented by the exponents. Thus, you add the exponents to determine the atomic number:

Atomic number = 2+2+6+2+6+2+10+6+2+8 = 46

From the periodic table, element 46 is Palladium or Pd.