Question

The atomic number of an element Y is 16.
(a) What must an atom of Y do to achieve the nearest inert gas electron arrangement?
(b) Which inert gas is nearest to Y?

Answer 1

Answer :

(a) An atom of Y has an electronic configuration of 2,8,6; therefore, it must gain two electrons to achieve the nearest inert gas electron configuration.

(b) Argon gas is the nearest inert gas to Y. After gaining two electrons, it will have 18 electrons with an electronic configuration of 2,8,8, which represents argon gas.