Name an element in the third period (row) of the periodic table with the following: d. two 3s electrons and one 3p electron

Verified step by step guidance

1. 1. The problem is asking for an element in the third period (row) of the periodic table that has two 3s electrons and one 3p electron. The third period corresponds to the third energy level (n=3) in an atom.
2. 2. The 3s subshell can hold a maximum of 2 electrons, and the 3p subshell can hold a maximum of 6 electrons. The electron configuration notation for an atom with two 3s electrons and one 3p electron would be 3s^2 3p^1.
3. 3. The periodic table is organized in such a way that elements in the same group (column) have the same number of electrons in their outermost energy level. The first two groups (1 and 2) correspond to the s-block elements, and the next six groups (13-18) correspond to the p-block elements.
4. 4. The element with the electron configuration 3s^2 is in the second group of the third period. This is Magnesium (Mg).
5. 5. To find the element with an additional 3p electron, we move one step to the right in the same period. This is because each step to the right in the periodic table corresponds to adding one electron to the outermost energy level. Therefore, the element with the electron configuration 3s^2 3p^1 is in the third group of the third period. This is the element we are looking for.

Key Concepts

Periodic Table Structure

The periodic table is organized into rows (periods) and columns (groups) based on atomic number and electron configuration. Elements in the same period have the same number of electron shells. The third period includes elements with three electron shells, where the outermost electrons occupy the 3s and 3p subshells.

Electron Configuration

Electron configuration describes the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals. For the third period, the electron configuration follows the Aufbau principle, filling the 3s subshell before the 3p subshell. An element with two 3s electrons and one 3p electron would have the configuration of 3s²3p¹.

Identifying Elements

To identify an element based on its electron configuration, one must refer to the periodic table. The configuration 3s²3p¹ corresponds to the element aluminum (Al), which is the third element in the third period with a total of 13 electrons.