Which element has the following electron configuration:
[Xe] 6s^(2) 5d^(1) 4f^(1)
http://www.webelements.com/cerium/atoms.html
To find the element with the given electron configuration [Xe] 6s^(2) 5d^(1) 4f^(1), we need to first understand the electron configuration notation.
The electron configuration describes the distribution of electrons in different energy levels or orbitals around an atom's nucleus. It follows a specific pattern based on the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill the lower energy levels before filling higher energy levels.
In this electron configuration, the [Xe] represents the electron configuration of xenon (Xe), which has the electron configuration 1s^(2) 2s^(2) 2p^(6) 3s^(2) 3p^(6) 4s^(2) 3d^(10) 4p^(6) 5s^(2) 4d^(10) 5p^(6).
After the [Xe], we have 6s^(2), indicating that two electrons occupy the 6s orbital.
Next, we have 5d^(1), which means that one electron occupies the 5d orbital.
Finally, we have 4f^(1), indicating that one electron occupies the 4f orbital.
By looking at this configuration, we can determine that the element with this electron configuration is Lanthanum (La), which has an atomic number of 57.