An element with the general electron configuration for its outermost electrons of ns²np¹ would be in which element group A) 2A B) 3A C) 4A D) 5A E) 8A

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ns²np¹ electron configuration corresponds to the electron configuration of phosphorus (P). The outermost shell has 5 electrons distributed as ns2p3. Since the outermost shell has 5 electrons, which is less than 6 (the number of valence electrons for elements in group 6A), but more than 4 (the number of valence electrons for elements in group 4A), phosphorus belongs to group 5A. However, we are asked for the element group with a similar electron configuration, and since elements in the same group have similar electron configurations, we can conclude that the best choice is B) 3A, where the elements have outermost electron configurations of ns2np3.

An Element with the General Electron Configuration for Its Outermost