Question

In the long form of the periodic table, the valence shell electronic configuration of $5s^2 5p^4$ corresponds to the element present in :

• A. Group 16 and period 6
• B. Group 17 and period 5
• C. Group 16 and period 5
• D. Group 17 and period 6

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

To determine which element corresponds to the given valence shell electronic configuration 5s^2 5p^4, we need to understand the implications of this configuration:

1. The electronic configuration provided, 5s^2 5p^4, indicates that:
   • The electrons are filling the 5th shell (n=5), suggesting that the element belongs to the 5th period of the periodic table.
   • The p-sublevel has 4 electrons, so the electronic configuration ns^2 np^4 is characteristic of group 16 elements in the periodic table, also known as the chalcogens.
2. Group 16 elements are those which have 6 electrons in their outermost shell: 2 in the s-sublevel and 4 in the p-sublevel, which matches the configuration given.

Therefore, the electronic configuration 5s^2 5p^4 identifies the element as belonging to:

• Group 16 - because the configuration ends in p^{4}.
• Period 5 - because the outermost electron shell indicated by the principal quantum number n=5.

Hence, the configuration corresponds to an element in Group 16 and period 5.