For a neutral manganese (Mn) atom, how many electrons occupy the s and p orbitals in its ground-state electron configuration?

• A. 2 s electrons and 6 p electrons
• B. 4 s electrons and 10 p electrons
• C. 5 s electrons and 6 p electrons
• D. 6 s electrons and 12 p electrons

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the atomic number of manganese (Mn), which tells us the total number of electrons in a neutral atom. Manganese has an atomic number of 25, so it has 25 electrons.
2. Step 2: Write the ground-state electron configuration of manganese by filling orbitals in order of increasing energy using the Aufbau principle. The configuration is: \$1s^2\ 2s^2\ 2p^6\ 3s^2\ 3p^6\ 4s^2\ 3d^5$.
3. Step 3: Determine which orbitals are s and p orbitals. The s orbitals are \$1s\(, \)2s\(, \)3s\(, and \)4s\(, while the p orbitals are \)2p\( and \)3p$ in this configuration.
4. Step 4: Count the electrons in the s orbitals: \$1s^2\(, \)2s^2\(, \)3s^2\(, and \)4s^2\( add up to \)2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8$ electrons in s orbitals.
5. Step 5: Count the electrons in the p orbitals: \$2p^6\( and \)3p^6\( add up to \)6 + 6 = 12$ electrons in p orbitals.