What element corresponds to the electron configuration [Ar] 4s² 3d¹?

The electron configuration [Ar] 4s² 3d¹ indicates that the element has filled the 4s subshell with 2 electrons and has 1 electron in the 3d subshell. The [Ar] part signifies that the configuration begins with the electron configuration of Argon, which accounts for the first 18 electrons.

After Argon, the next electrons fill the 4s subshell first, which can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. Following the 4s subshell, the electron configuration continues into the 3d subshell, which is being filled after the 4s. In this specific case, there is 1 electron in the 3d subshell.

To find the element that corresponds to this configuration, we consider the total number of electrons: Argon contributes 18, plus 2 from 4s², and 1 from 3d¹, giving us a total of 21 electrons. The element with 21 electrons is Scandium (Sc), which is located in period 4 of the periodic table and belongs to the transition metals.

Thus, this particular electron configuration points directly to Scandium, affirming its identity based on the distribution