What is the ground state electron configuration of iron?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the electron configuration of iron in its ground state, which involves identifying how electrons are distributed among the various orbitals in iron's atomic structure.
Answer
[Ar] 3d6 4s2
The ground state electron configuration of iron is [Ar] 3d6 4s2.
Answer for screen readers
The ground state electron configuration of iron is [Ar] 3d6 4s2.
More Information
Iron has 26 electrons in its neutral state. The electron configuration is built by filling orbitals following the Aufbau principle, which prioritizes lower energy orbitals first.
Tips
A common mistake is writing the 4s orbital after the 3d orbital in sequence but they fill 4s before 3d.
Sources
- WebElements Periodic Table » Iron » properties of free atoms - webelements.com
- Electron Configuration for Iron (Fe, Fe2+, and Fe3+) - TerpConnect - terpconnect.umd.edu
- The ground state electron configuration of Fe is. - BYJU'S - byjus.com
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