What is the electron configuration for Aluminum (Al)?

To understand the electron configuration for aluminum (Al), it's important to first recognize that aluminum has an atomic number of 13. This atomic number indicates that there are 13 electrons in a neutral aluminum atom.

The correct configuration starts by filling the electron orbitals in a specific order based on the Aufbau principle, which dictates that electrons occupy the lowest energy levels first. The first two electrons go into the 1s orbital, resulting in 1s². The next two electrons fill the 2s orbital, giving 2s². Following that, the electrons fill the 2p orbitals, adding up to six electrons with 2p⁶.

After filling these lower energy levels (1s, 2s, and 2p), we move to the next shell. The first two electrons in the third shell go into the 3s orbital, which gives us 3s². Finally, one electron goes into the 3p orbital, leading to 3p¹.

Putting this all together, the full electron configuration for aluminum is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹. This configuration accurately reflects the distribution of all 13 electrons around the nucleus