Question

Justify the position of hydrogen in the periodic table on the basis of its electronic configuration.

Answer 1

Hydrogen with atomic number 1 and electronic configuration $1s^1$ is the first element in the periodic table. It resembles alkali metals as well as halogens. Hence, its position is anomalous. Some chemists argue that hydrogen should be placed along with alkali metals whereas other chemist argue that hydrogen should be placed with halogens.