What element is represented by the electron configuration 1s^2 2s^2 2p^2?

1 Answer
Michelle
Jun 24, 2017

carbon (C)

Explanation:

The electron configuration tells us that there are 6 electrons in the element.

The superscripts indicate how many electrons are present in the orbital. For instance, 1s^2 tells us that in the first energy level, in the s orbital, there are 2 electrons.

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Since atoms are electrically neutral, the number of protons equals the number of electrons. So if you have an element with 6 electrons, it must have 6 protons.

The element with an atomic number of 6 is carbon.

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