Final answer:
The neutral element with the excited-state electron configuration given is phosphorus, which has an atomic number of 15. The correct ground-state electron configuration for phosphorus is 1s²2s²2p¶3s²3p³, or using noble gas notation, [Ne]3s²3p³.
Step-by-step explanation:
To identify the neutral element represented by the given excited-state electron configuration of '1s22s22p43s1', we must recognize that the electron configuration has been altered from its lowest energy state, known as the ground-state configuration. Typically, electrons occupy the lowest available energy levels; however, in an excited state, they may jump to higher levels.
An element in its ground state will have its electrons organized in the lowest possible energy levels, thus the correct ground-state configuration will have electrons fill up the 3s subshell before entering the 3p subshell. For this configuration, after filling the 2p subshell with 6 electrons, the next two would normally fill the 3s subshell.
The neutral phosphorus atom, with an atomic number of 15, would have the following ground-state electron configuration:
- 1s subshell filled with 2 electrons: 1s2
- 2s subshell filled with 2 electrons: 2s2
- 2p subshell filled with 6 electrons: 2p6
- 3s subshell filled with 2 electrons: 3s2
- 3p subshell filled with 3 electrons: 3p3
This gives us the ground-state electron configuration for phosphorus: 1s22s22p63s23p3. Alternatively, using the noble gas abbreviation, it can be represented as [Ne]3s23p3.