Which element can be identified by the configuration [Xe] 6s^2 4f^14 5d^10 6p^6?

The electron configuration [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ corresponds to a specific arrangement of electrons around the nucleus of an atom, which is critical for identifying the element. In this configuration, the noble gas xenon ([Xe]) is used to denote the inner electron shells, while the additional notation indicates the outer electron subshells that contribute to the chemical properties of the element.

The notation indicates that there are:

• 2 electrons in the 6s subshell,

• 14 electrons in the 4f subshell,

• 10 electrons in the 5d subshell,

• 6 electrons in the 6p subshell.

When counting the total number of electrons, you reach 86. The atomic number, which corresponds directly to the number of protons in the nucleus and thus identifies the element, is also 86. This is indicative of radon (Rn), a noble gas located in group 18 of the periodic table.

This configuration indicates that radon is a complete octet in the highest energy level (n=6) with fully filled s, p, and d orbitals, characteristic of noble gases, which are known