Give the electronic configuration of carbon atom.
The correct answer and explanation is:
Electronic Configuration of Carbon Atom:
1s² 2s² 2p²
Explanation:
Carbon is a chemical element with the atomic number 6. This means it has 6 protons in its nucleus and, in a neutral atom, it also has 6 electrons. These electrons are arranged in energy levels or shells around the nucleus according to the principles of quantum mechanics.
The first energy level can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. These fill the 1s orbital, which is the lowest energy orbital. Therefore, the first two electrons of carbon occupy the 1s orbital. This is represented as 1s², meaning two electrons are in the 1s orbital.
After filling the first shell, the next electrons go into the second energy level. The second shell consists of the 2s and 2p orbitals. The 2s orbital can also hold a maximum of 2 electrons. Therefore, the next two electrons of carbon go into the 2s orbital, which is written as 2s².
At this point, four electrons are accounted for. The remaining two electrons go into the 2p orbitals. The 2p subshell has three orbitals, each capable of holding up to 2 electrons, for a total of 6. Carbon has only 2 electrons left to place in this subshell, so they are placed in separate 2p orbitals with parallel spins following Hund’s rule, which favors maximum unpaired electrons in orbitals of equal energy.
So the final configuration becomes 1s² 2s² 2p². This arrangement reflects the most stable and lowest energy distribution of electrons for a carbon atom in its ground state. Understanding this configuration is important for explaining the chemical behavior of carbon, including its ability to form four covalent bonds with other atoms.