Question

an element in its ground state has electron configuration: ne3s²3p⁴. what is this elements chemical symbol?

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the number of electrons in Ne

Neon (\(Ne\)) has \(10\) electrons.

Step2: Calculate the total number of electrons in the element

The electron configuration is \([Ne]3s^{2}3p^{4}\). The number of electrons from \([Ne]\) is \(10\), from \(3s^{2}\) is \(2\), and from \(3p^{4}\) is \(4\). So the total number of electrons \(N = 10+2 + 4=16\).

Step3: Identify the element based on the atomic number

In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the atomic number. The element with atomic number \(16\) is sulfur.

Answer:

\(S\)