Identify the element associated with the electron configuration [Xe] 6s² 4f¹³.

The electron configuration [Xe] 6s² 4f¹³ corresponds to the element Dysprosium (Dy). To understand why this configuration points to Dysprosium, it's important to break down the electron configuration itself.

The notation [Xe] indicates that the electron configuration begins with the electron configuration of xenon, which accounts for the first 54 electrons. After xenon, the configuration shows a 6s² subshell, meaning that 2 electrons are located in the 6s orbital. This is followed by the 4f¹³ part of the configuration, indicating that there are 13 electrons in the 4f subshell.

In the lanthanide series, which encompasses the 4f block elements, the sequence of filling electrons in the 4f subshell begins with Cerium (Ce) and goes through to Lutetium (Lu). Dysprosium falls in this series, specifically having 13 electrons in the 4f subshell, confirming it is indeed Dysprosium.

To summarize, the presence of 13 electrons in the 4f subshell, alongside the filled 6s orbital, directly leads to the identification of Dysprosium as the element associated with the given electron configuration