The excited Cl atom in this configuration can have 16 different arrangements of electrons. This is because the unpaired electrons in the 3p and 4s orbitals can be distributed in various combinations with their spin states.
The given electron configuration for the excited Cl atom is: (1s)²(2s)²(2p)⁶(3s)²(3p)⁴(4s)¹
To determine the number of different arrangements of electrons for this configuration, we need to consider the number of electrons in each orbital and the possible configurations available for them.
Approach:
- Identify unoccupied orbitals: There are two unoccupied orbitals in this configuration: 3d and 4p.
- Count unpaired electrons: There are three unpaired electrons: one in the 4s orbital and two in the 3p orbitals.
- Calculate potential configurations:
- Each 3p orbital can hold one electron with two spin states (spin up and spin down). Therefore, there are 2⁴ possibilities for the two 3p electrons.
- The single electron in the 4s orbital can also have two spin states.
Therefore, the total number of possible configurations is:
2⁴ * 2 = 16
Conclusion:
The excited Cl atom in this configuration can have 16 different arrangements of electrons. This is because the unpaired electrons in the 3p and 4s orbitals can be distributed in various combinations with their spin states.
Note: This calculation assumes that the energy difference between the 3d and 4p orbitals is significant enough that we can neglect the possibility of the lone electron occupying the 3d orbital.