What is the electron configuration of Phosphorus?

The electron configuration of Phosphorus, which has an atomic number of 15, accurately describes the distribution of its electrons across various energy levels and subshells. Using the noble gas shorthand notation, we start with the nearest noble gas preceding Phosphorus, which is Neon, represented as [Ne]. Neon has an atomic number of 10, so it accounts for the first 10 electrons.

After Neon, Phosphorus has 5 additional electrons to place in the 3rd energy level. The 3s subshell can hold a maximum of 2 electrons, so those are filled first, represented as 3s². Following that, the remaining 3 electrons go into the 3p subshell. The 3p subshell can hold up to 6 electrons, but for phosphorus, only 3 are needed. Thus, this is represented as 3p³.

Combining these designations, the complete electron configuration for Phosphorus becomes [Ne] 3s² 3p³. This configuration reflects that phosphorus has a total of 15 electrons, fulfilling its atom's structure according to the Aufbau principle, which dictates that electrons occupy the lowest energy orbitals first.

The option that states [Ne