What element has the final electron configuration as 3s2 3p4?
Sulfur
To determine the element with the electron configuration 3s2 3p4, we need to first understand the electronic configuration notation.
In the periodic table, elements are grouped into periods and blocks. Each period represents a different energy level (or shell) in which electrons can reside, while each block represents a different sublevel (s, p, d, f) within that energy level.
Let's break down the electron configuration notation:
- The first number (3 in this case) represents the principal energy level or shell (n=3).
- The letter "s" represents the sublevel (s sublevel).
- The number next to the sublevel (2) represents the number of electrons in that sublevel.
So, the 3s2 part of the configuration indicates that there are two electrons in the third energy level's s sublevel.
Now, let's move on to the 3p4 part:
- The number after "p" (4) represents the number of electrons in the p sublevel of the third energy level.
Based on this information, we can conclude that the element with the electron configuration 3s2 3p4 is sulfur (S), which has 16 electrons.