Which one of the following electronic configuration is not possible

which one of the following electronic configuration is not possible

Which one of the following electronic configurations is not possible?

Answer:

To determine which electronic configuration is not possible, it’s essential first to understand the basic rules that govern electron configurations:

  1. Pauli Exclusion Principle: No two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers. Essentially, an orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons with opposite spins.

  2. Aufbau Principle: Electrons fill orbitals starting from the lowest energy level moving to higher levels. The typical order of filling is 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, etc.

  3. Hund’s Rule: Electrons occupy equal-energy orbitals singly before pairing up.

Given these principles, let’s examine a set of possible electronic configurations and identify which one is not feasible.

Example Configurations:

  1. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³
  2. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁷
  3. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹
  4. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹

Examination by Steps:

1. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³:

  • This represents a valid configuration. The given configuration has an accurate filling of electrons: 1s² (2 electrons), 2s² (2 electrons), 2p⁶ (6 electrons), 3s² (2 electrons), and 3p³ (3 electrons) which is the correct filling order.

2. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁷:

  • The 3p orbital can only hold a maximum of 6 electrons. Therefore, having 3p⁷ is not possible, violating the Pauli Exclusion Principle.

3. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹:

  • This is a valid configuration. After the 2p layer, the next electron goes into the 3s orbital. Thus, it satisfies all the required rules.

4. 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹:

  • This is a valid configuration as well. Electrons correctly fill up the energy levels in order: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, and then 4s.

Final Answer:

The electronic configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁷ is not possible due to a violation of the Pauli Exclusion Principle.