Which electron configuration represents the electrons in an atom of sulfur in an excited state?

Which electron configuration represents the electrons in an atom of sulfur in an excited state?

(1) 2 – 8 – 6

(2) 2 – 7 – 7

(3) 2 – 8 – 7

(4) 2 – 7 – 8

Explanation: We must first look at the Periodic Table on the Reference Table, and find Sulfur.

Sulfur's electron configuration is 2-8-6 according to the Reference Table. An excited state is a state in which an electron jumps to a higher energy level, while the ground state is the lowest energy most stable state for electrons. Now, lets look at our answer choices. Choice 1 is the ground state electron configuration for Sulfur , and is therefore wrong. Choice 2: 2-7-7, is the excited electron configuration since one electron from the second energy level jumped to a third (higher) energy level. Therefore, choice 2 is the correct answer choice.

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