Problem 89 - Chemistry An Atoms First Approach

Question

The four most abundant elements by mass in the human body are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. These four elements make up about \(96 \%\) of the human body. The next four most abundant elements are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Write the expected ground-state electron configurations for these eight most abundant elements in the human body.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The ground-state electron configurations for the eight most abundant elements in the human body are: - Hydrogen (H): \(1s^1\) - Oxygen (O): \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^4\) - Carbon (C): \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^2\) - Nitrogen (N): \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^3\) - Calcium (Ca): \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2\) - Phosphorus (P): \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3\) - Magnesium (Mg): \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2\) - Potassium (K): \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^1\)

Step 1: Hydrogen

Atomic number: 1 Electron configuration: \(1s^1\)

Step 2: Oxygen

Atomic number: 8 Electron configuration: \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^4\)

Step 3: Carbon

Atomic number: 6 Electron configuration: \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^2\)

Step 4: Nitrogen

Atomic number: 7 Electron configuration: \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^3\)

Step 5: Calcium

Atomic number: 20 Electron configuration: \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2\)

Step 6: Phosphorus

Atomic number: 15 Electron configuration: \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3\)

Step 7: Magnesium

Atomic number: 12 Electron configuration: \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2\)

Step 8: Potassium

Atomic number: 19 Electron configuration: \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^1\)