Which of the following represents the ground state electron configuration of Ti^{4+}?

• A. 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^2
• B. 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6
• C. 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2
• D. 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^4

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the atomic number of titanium (Ti), which is 22, meaning a neutral Ti atom has 22 electrons.
2. Write the ground state electron configuration for neutral Ti by filling orbitals in order of increasing energy: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, then 3d.
3. Recognize that Ti^{4+} means the titanium ion has lost 4 electrons compared to the neutral atom.
4. Remove electrons first from the highest energy orbitals, which for transition metals is the 4s orbital before the 3d orbital.
5. After removing 4 electrons (2 from 4s and 2 from 3d), write the resulting electron configuration representing Ti^{4+}.