The ground state configuration of chlorine (Z = 17) is:
A)1s2 2s2 2p5 3s2 3p6
B)1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p5
C)1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4 3d1
D)1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p5 4s1
E)1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1 3p7

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Chlorine has 17 electrons, which fill the atomic orbitals in the order 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p. The ground state electron configuration of chlorine can be written as 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p5. This configuration satisfies the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill orbitals from the lowest energy level to the highest energy level. Option A has an incorrect number of electrons in the 3p subshell. Option C has an extra electron in the 3d subshell, which is not part of the electron configuration for chlorine. Option D has an extra electron in the 4s subshell, which is not part of the electron configuration for chlorine. Option E has an extra electron in the 3s subshell, which is also not part of the electron configuration for chlorine.

The Ground State Configuration of Chlorine (Z = 17) Is