Question

Identify the noble gas that has atoms with the same electron configuration as the positive ion represented in diagram 1, when both the atoms and the ion are in the ground state.

a. Ar (argon)
b. Kr (krypton)
c. Ne (neon)
d. Xe (xenon)

Answer 1

The noble gas that has the same electron configuration as the P⁳⁺ ion (given in the question as 1s²2s²2p¶3s²3p3) after it loses three electrons is argon (Ar), with a configuration of [Ne]3s²3p¶.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks to identify the noble gas that has the same electron configuration as a positive ion given in Diagram 1.

First, we need to know the electron configuration of the ion. Let's assume that the electron configuration given in the question (P: 1s²2s²2p¶3s²3p3) belongs to the ion in Diagram 1, representing a phosphorus atom that has lost three electrons to form the P⁳⁺ ion. Therefore, the resulting electron configuration after losing three electrons would be 1s²2s²2p¶3s²3p°. This configuration matches the electron configuration of the noble gas argon (Ar), which is [Ne]3s²3p¶ or the full version 1s²2s²2p¶3s²3p¶.