Electronic configuration of Cu is :
Correct answer: A. 3d10 4s1
- A. 3d10 4s1
- B. 3d11 4s0
- C. 3d10 4s2
- D. 3d10 4s0
Explanation
The electronic configuration of copper (Cu) is obtained by filling the orbitals in order of increasing energy. The atomic number of copper is 29, which means it has 29 electrons. The electron configuration of copper can be determined by following the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill the lowest energy levels first. The electron configuration for copper can be written as: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d9 However, when it comes to copper, there is an exception. Copper prefers to have a fully-filled 3d subshell rather than a half-filled 3d subshell due to increased stability. Therefore, one electron from the 4s orbital is promoted to the 3d orbital, resulting in the electron configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1 3d10
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About Electronic Configuration
Electronic configuration describes how electrons occupy shells, subshells and orbitals around an atom. Questions use the Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle and Hund's rule to write configurations, identify valence electrons, form ions and explain periodic trends, including common exceptions such as chromium and copper.
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