Question

Which of the following represents the general electronic configuration of an phosphorous element?

• A. $1s^{2}2s^2{p}^{6}3s^{2}3p^3$
• B. $1s^{2}2s^2{p}^{6}3s^{2}3p^6$
• C. $1s^{2}2s^2{p}^{6}3s^{2}3p^2$
• D. $1s^{2}2s^2{p}^{6}3s^{1}3p^4$

Answer 1

The correct option is A $1s^{2}2s^2{p}^{6}3s^{2}3p^3$

The general configuration representation of p-block elements is $(n-2)f^0(n-1)d^{0}n{s}^{2}n{p}^{1-6}$. This is because the s-subshell is completely filled, whereas, the p-subshell contains at least 1 electron. The phosphorous element has atomic number 15 whose electronic configuration is $1s^{2}2s^2{p}^{6}3s^{2}3p^3$.