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WAEC Chemistry 2013 Objective — Question 7

Question 7 of 50 from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Chemistry 2013 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation.

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The element with electron configuration 1s²2s²2p⁶ 3s²3p¹ belongs to

  • A. s-block, period 3, group 1
  • B. p-block, period 3, group 2
  • C. s-block, period 3, group 3
  • D. p-block, period 3, group 3Correct

Explanation

The s.p.d.f notation is employed to tell the block an element belongs. If the electronic configuration ends in s, the element belongs to S-block; if it ends in p, the element belongs to P-block etc. Since the given electronic configuration is 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p¹, the element belongs to P-block. We can also tell the group and period from the s.p.d.f notation: the maximum principal quantum number is the period number while the total number of electrons in the outermost orbitals is the group number. Thus, group=3, period=3.

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