To determine the correct electron configuration for zinc (Zn), we need to understand its atomic number and the distribution of electrons in its orbitals.
Zinc has an atomic number of 30, which means it has 30 electrons. The correct electron configuration follows the order of filling the orbitals based on the Aufbau principle, which orders the orbitals by increasing energy levels.
Here’s the distribution of electrons in the orbitals:
- The 1s orbital can hold 2 electrons.
- The 2s orbital can hold 2 electrons.
- The 2p orbital can hold 6 electrons.
- The 3s orbital can hold 2 electrons.
- The 3p orbital can hold 6 electrons.
- The 4s orbital can hold 2 electrons.
- The 3d orbital can hold 10 electrons.
Now let’s assign electrons in this order until we reach a total of 30 electrons:
1. 1s^2: 2 electrons
2. 2s^2: 2 electrons
3. 2p^6: 6 electrons
4. 3s^2: 2 electrons
5. 3p^6: 6 electrons
6. 4s^2: 2 electrons
7. 3d^10: 10 electrons
This totals to:
- \(1s^2 + 2s^2 + 2p^6 + 3s^2 + 3p^6 + 4s^2 + 3d^{10} = 30\)
Thus, the electron configuration for zinc (Zn) is:
[tex]\[1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^{10}\][/tex]
Among the given options, the fourth option matches this configuration:
[tex]\[1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^{10}\][/tex]
Therefore, the correct electron configuration for zinc is the fourth one:
[tex]\[1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^{10}\][/tex]
