Which element has the electron configuration [Ne] 3s^2 3p^4?

The electron configuration [Ne] 3s² 3p⁴ corresponds to the arrangement of electrons in an atom of sulfur.

To break this down, the notation [Ne] signifies that the electron configuration begins with the configuration of neon, which accounts for 10 electrons (the first two energy levels: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶). Following that, the next two electrons fill the 3s subshell, leading to 3s², and then four electrons in the 3p subshell, giving 3p⁴.

The total number of electrons is thus 10 from neon + 2 from 3s + 4 from 3p, resulting in 16 electrons in total, which is the atomic number of sulfur. This confirms that the electron configuration matches sulfur’s position on the periodic table.

The other elements listed do not have this specific configuration: chlorine has one more electron (3s² 3p⁵), phosphorus has two fewer electrons (3s² 3p³), and silicon has a different configuration corresponding to a total of 14 electrons (3s² 3p²). This establishes that the correct identification of the element associated with