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Chapter 3: Problem 25

The element sulfur has an electron configuration of 1\(s^{2} 2 s^{2} 2 p^{6} 3 s^{2} 3 p^{4}\) . \begin{equation} \begin{array}{l}{\text { a. What does the superscript } 6 \text { refer to? }} \\\ {\text { b. What does the letter } s \text { refer to? }} \\ {\text { c. What does the coefficient 3 refer to? }}\end{array} \end{equation}

Short Answer

Expert verified
Part a: The superscript 6 refers to the number of electrons in that energy sublevel. Part b: The letter 's' refers to the type of atomic orbital. Part c: The coefficient 3 refers to the energy level or the principal quantum number.

Step by step solution

01

Answer to part a

The superscript 6 in the electron configuration represents the number of electrons in that energy sublevel. So, in this context, it refers to six electrons occupying the 2p sublevel.
02

Answer to part b

The letter 's' in the electron configuration represents the type of orbital in which the electrons are located. Each letter represents a specific type of orbital or shape in which the electrons move around the nucleus. In quantum mechanics, 's' orbital stands for sharp and is one type of the atomic orbitals.
03

Answer to part c

The coefficient 3 in the electron configuration represents the energy level, also known as the principal quantum number. This means that the electrons are in the third energy level around the nucleus of the atom.

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