Step-by-step explanation:
Before proceeding with a laboratory experiment, you can check whether copper (Cu, atomic number 29) and sulfur (S, atomic number 16) can combine into a compound by considering their valence electrons and using the octet rule:
1. Determine the valence electrons:
- Copper (Cu) has 29 electrons in total, and its electron configuration is [1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹ 3d¹⁰]. The valence electrons are in the 4s² and 3d¹⁰ orbitals, so copper has 1 valence electron.
- Sulfur (S) has 16 electrons in total, and its electron configuration is [1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴]. Sulfur has 6 valence electrons.
2. Check for compatibility:
- Copper has 1 valence electron, which means it can potentially lose this electron to achieve a stable, full valence shell.
- Sulfur has 6 valence electrons, and it needs 2 more electrons to achieve a stable, full valence shell.
3. Based on their valence electron counts, it appears that copper can readily lose one electron to sulfur, and sulfur can readily gain one electron from copper to form an ionic compound.
So, based on their valence electron configurations, copper and sulfur could combine into a compound, likely forming an ionic compound due to the transfer of electrons from copper to sulfur. However, further experimental verification is needed to determine the specific properties and nature of the compound that would form.