Answer:
The electron configuration of iron is [Ar] 3d^6 4s^2
Step-by-step explanation:
- The electron configuration of iron (Fe) can be represented using the quantum mechanical model, which describes the distribution of electrons in an atom according to the principles of quantum mechanics.
- According to this model, the electrons in an atom are arranged in shells, with each shell corresponding to a specific energy level. The innermost shell is the 1s shell, which can hold a maximum of two electrons. The next shell is the 2s shell, which can hold a maximum of eight electrons. The third shell is the 3s shell, which can hold a maximum of 18 electrons, and so on.
- The electron configuration of iron is [Ar] 3d^6 4s^2, which means that the iron atom has 26 electrons in total. The first part, [Ar], represents the electron configuration of argon (Ar), which is the element that comes before iron in the periodic table. The 3d and 4s refer to the 3d and 4s subshells, which are part of the third and fourth shells, respectively. The superscripts 6 and 2 represent the number of electrons in each subshell.
- In the 3d subshell, there are 6 electrons, and in the 4s subshell, there are 2 electrons. This gives a total of 8 electrons in the third and fourth shells, which is the maximum number that these shells can hold. The remaining 18 electrons are distributed among the inner shells, with 2 in the 1s shell and 8 in the 2s shell. This gives a total of 26 electrons, which is the atomic number of iron.