Question

A neutral isolated atom has a ground state configuration of 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 2 3p 6 4s 2 3d 3 . Identify the element.

Answer 1

Answer:

Vanadium

Explanation:

There are some inherent properties that can be used to provide identification for elements. Principal amongst these properties atomic number. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. It is so relevant that it is the criterion used in fixing elements in their various positions on the periodic table.

However, since electrons are majorly responsible for chemical changes in elements, we need to be able to get the number of electrons. For an electrically neutral atom, the number of electrons is the same as number of protons, this to leave no net positive or negative charge and maintain the elemental neutrality.

Now to get the number of electrons, we simply add everything we have in the configuration in the question. This gives a total of 23 electrons. Thus, we also have 23 protons. Since it’s a ground state configuration, the element here is vanadium