Question

Which of the following would be different in a ground state and in excited state of neon atom?

• A. The number of neutrons
• B. The number of electrons
• C. The atomic weight
• D. The electronic configuration
• E. Everything would remain the same

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

The electronic configuration

The electronic configuration would be different in a ground state and in the excited state of the neon atom.

The ground state electronic configuration for $Ne(Z=10)$ is $1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^6$.

The excited state electronic configuration for $Ne(Z=10)$ is $1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{5}3s^1$.

Hence. the correct answer is option $D$.