Question

give the electron configuration for gold (au). you must use the noble gas configuration (the shortcut) xe 6s² valence electrons

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the noble - gas core

Gold (Au) has an atomic number of 79. The noble gas before it in the periodic table is Xenon (Xe) which has an atomic number of 54. So, we start with [Xe].

Step2: Fill the remaining orbitals

After [Xe], we fill the 6s orbital first. But due to the stability of half - filled and fully - filled d - orbitals, one electron from the 6s orbital moves to the 5d orbital. So, instead of 6s²5d⁹, we have 6s¹5d¹⁰.

Answer:

[Xe]4f¹⁴5d¹⁰6s¹