Give the symbol of the element of lowest atomic number whose ground state has:

a) Four f electrons
b) a completed d subshell
c) six s electrons

I don't understand ground state electrons at all? Could you explain them in addition to explaining the questions

Let's use an example. The electron configuration for carbon is

1s2 2s2 2p2. That is the ground state meaning that all of the lowest levels have been filled. If we want an excited atom, we might promote one of the 2p2 electrons up to a 3s and the configuration would be
1s2 2s2 2p1 3s1. That is NOT the ground state because the 3s electron can occupy a lower level; namely, the 2p level.
To answer these questions, you need to go to www.webelements.com and click on some of the elements (then scroll down to the "electron shell properties". Some hints:
a) The first f subshells to be filled start at 58.
b)There is a 3d and a 4d and 5d subshell. You may as well pick the smaller number. The 3d series starts at element 21.
c)I think Mg is the first element with 6 s electrons. Mg is #12 so it will be
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 gives the 6 s electrons. Actually, any element above Mg will have at least 6 (those past K will have more than 6) s electrons.

Certainly! Ground state electrons refer to the arrangement of electrons in an atom when it is in its lowest energy state, or the state with the lowest possible energy levels. Electrons occupy different energy levels or orbitals within an atom, and each energy level can hold a specific number of electrons.

Now, let's break down the questions:

a) When it comes to elements with four f electrons in their ground state, we would be referring to the f-block elements of the periodic table. The element with the lowest atomic number that fits this criteria is cerium (Ce), which has an atomic number of 58.

b) For an element to have a completed d subshell in its ground state, we can look to the d-block elements. The element with the lowest atomic number that fulfills this condition is zinc (Zn), which has an atomic number of 30.

c) Elements with six s electrons would fall under the s-block of the periodic table. The element with the lowest atomic number that has six s electrons in its ground state is carbon (C), with an atomic number of 6.

So, to summarize:

a) Four f electrons: Cerium (Ce)
b) Completed d subshell: Zinc (Zn)
c) Six s electrons: Carbon (C)

Remember, this information is based on the ground state electron configurations of these elements, which indicate the arrangement of electrons when the atoms are in their lowest energy states.

The ground state of an atom refers to the lowest energy state that an electron can occupy within an atom. When an electron is in its ground state, it is in the state of minimum energy and is therefore the most stable configuration for that electron.

Electrons in an atom are arranged in specific energy levels and subshells. The energy levels are represented by a number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.), and the subshells are represented by a letter (s, p, d, f). Each energy level can contain a specific number of electrons, and each subshell can contain a maximum number of electrons.

Now, let's address the questions:

a) Four f electrons:
The f subshell can accommodate up to 14 electrons. However, the element with the lowest atomic number that has four f electrons is lawrencium (Lr), with an atomic number of 103.

b) A completed d subshell:
The d subshell can hold up to 10 electrons. The element with the lowest atomic number that has a completed d subshell is zinc (Zn), with an atomic number of 30.

c) Six s electrons:
The s subshell can hold up to 2 electrons. Therefore, an element with six s electrons would need three s subshells. The element with the lowest atomic number that satisfies this condition is calcium (Ca), with an atomic number of 20.

To summarize:
a) Element with four f electrons: Lawrencium (Lr)
b) Element with completed d subshell: Zinc (Zn)
c) Element with six s electrons: Calcium (Ca)

Certainly! Understanding ground state electrons is key to answering these questions.

In atoms, electrons occupy different energy levels, or shells, which are further divided into subshells. The ground state of an atom refers to the electron configuration where the electrons are in their lowest possible energy levels.

Electrons fill up the energy levels and subshells following the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill the lowest available energy levels first before occupying higher energy levels. In each energy level, there are different subshells, which are denoted by letters: s, p, d, and f.

Now let's tackle the questions:

a) Four f electrons:
The f subshell can hold up to 14 electrons, so we are looking for an element with four electrons in the f subshell. Since the atomic number (number of protons) determines the identity of an element, we need to search for an element with an atomic number that corresponds to four electrons in the f subshell.

To find the element, you can refer to the periodic table. Locate the row (period) that contains the f subshell (row 6) and count to the fourth element. The element you find is **Praseodymium (Pr)**, with an atomic number of 59.

b) Completed d subshell:
The d subshell can hold up to 10 electrons. So, we need to find an element with an atomic number that corresponds to ten electrons in the d subshell. To find this element, locate the row (period) that contains the d subshell (row 4) and go to the tenth element. The element you find is **Zinc (Zn)**, with an atomic number of 30.

c) Six s electrons:
The s subshell can hold up to 2 electrons. To find an element with six s electrons, we need to identify an energy level that contains the s subshell and locate the sixth element in that level. The s subshell is found in the first energy level (K shell). The sixth element in the first energy level is **Carbon (C)**, with an atomic number of 6.

To summarize:
a) The element with four f electrons in its ground state is Praseodymium (Pr).
b) The element with a completed d subshell in its ground state is Zinc (Zn).
c) The element with six s electrons in its ground state is Carbon (C).

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