The electron configuration for a ground-state sulfur atom is:

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks for the electron configuration of a ground-state sulfur atom.
Sulfur has atomic number 16, so it has 16 electrons to place in orbitals.
The noble gas core for sulfur is neon, which represents 10 electrons, leaving 6 electrons to fill in the valence shell.
These 6 valence electrons occupy the 3s and 3p orbitals in sulfur: 2 electrons in 3s and 4 electrons in 3p, giving the configuration [Ne] 3s2 3p4.
The provided answer option is [Ne]3s23p4, which is the same arrangement, just without spaces; this is indeed the correct ground-state configuration for sulfur.
However, the data shows that the answer_options field is empty, so there are no alternative options to compare or evaluate. If other choices existed, we would assess their accuracy by checking whether they correctly account for the total of 16 electrons and the correct filling order (1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, etc.).
Common misconceptions might include writing [Ne]3s23p5 (which would imply 7 valence electrons instead of 6) or placing electrons into higher energy levels before fully filling the 3p subshell, which would violate Aufbau principles.
In summary, the correct configuration for ground-state sulfur is [Ne] 3s2 3p4, and the given option [Ne]3s23p4 matches that standard notation.

CHEM1012 (L2) Online Quiz #1

The electron configuration for a ground-state sulfur atom is:

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