What is the electron configuration for Phosphorus (P)?

Phosphorus has an atomic number of 15, which means it has 15 electrons. To determine the electron configuration, we follow the order of filling atomic orbitals according to the Aufbau principle.

The first two electrons will fill the 1s orbital: 1s². The next two electrons fill the 2s orbital: 2s². Following that, the six electrons that occupy the 2p orbital are noted as: 2p⁶.

At this point, we have used 10 electrons (2 from 1s, 2 from 2s, and 6 from 2p). We then move to the next energy level, where the next two electrons will fill the 3s orbital: 3s². Finally, the remaining three electrons will fill the 3p orbital, resulting in 3p³.

Putting this all together, the complete electron configuration for phosphorus is indeed 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³, which corresponds to the chosen answer.

This configuration reflects how electrons are arranged in orbitals around the nucleus, which is essential for understanding the chemical properties and reactivity of phosphorus.