What is the electron configuration for Argon (Ar)?

The correct electron configuration for argon (Ar), which has an atomic number of 18, is represented as 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶. This configuration indicates that argon has a total of 18 electrons distributed across its various energy levels.

To break it down, the notation shows that the first energy level, 1s, can hold up to 2 electrons and is completely filled with 2 electrons (1s²). The second energy level includes both the 2s and 2p orbitals. The 2s orbital holds another 2 electrons (2s²), while the 2p orbital can hold a maximum of 6 electrons and is also fully filled with 6 electrons (2p⁶).

Moving to the third energy level, the 3s orbital again holds 2 electrons (3s²), and finally, the 3p orbital, which can also hold a maximum of 6 electrons, is filled with 6 electrons (3p⁶). This achieves a total of 18 electrons, which corresponds to the atomic number of argon, confirming that the configuration is accurate.

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