Final answer:
The ion most likely formed by phosphorus is the phosphate anion with a 3- charge, resulting in an electron configuration of [Ne]3s²3p⁶, which is equivalent to the noble gas configuration of argon.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ion most likely formed by phosphorus is the phosphate anion, which has a 3- charge. Phosphorus prefers to gain three electrons to achieve a noble gas configuration, resulting in the ion having a total of 18 electrons.
The electron configuration for a neutral phosphorus atom is 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p³. When phosphorus forms an ion, it will complete its 3p subshell, and the configuration becomes [Ne]3s²3p⁶, which reflects the electron configuration of argon, a noble gas. Therefore, the electron configuration for the phosphorus anion with a 3- charge is [Ne]3s²3p⁶.
A neutral phosphorus atom has 15 electrons. The electron distribution is as follows:
1s²
2s²
2p⁶
3s²
3p³
The electron configuration of the ion most likely formed by phosphorus is determined by gaining three extra electrons to achieve stability. Therefore, the electron configuration of the ion would be:
1s²
2s²
2p⁶
3s²
3p⁶