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what is the link between the electronic configuration of an atom and its group number in the periodic table

User Sandeep Dinesh
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1 Answer

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The eletronic configuration of an atom is going to predict which group in the periodic table it will be. For example: all elements that have their configuration distribution ending in s¹ will be in group 1 of the periodic table.

Let's take two real examples for better understanding:

11 Na - 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹

19 K - 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹

Both K and Na are in group 1 of the periodic table.

User Andrew Bissell
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