What is the ground-state electron configuration of neon ($Ne$, atomic number $10$)?

• A. $1^s$ is not valid notation; correct configuration is $1^s$
• B. ${1s}^2{2s}^2{3p}^6$
• C. ${1s}^2{2s}^2{2p}^6$
• D. ${1s}^2{2s}^2{2p}^5$

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the atomic number of neon, which is 10. This means neon has 10 electrons to arrange in its ground-state electron configuration.
2. Recall the order in which electron orbitals are filled according to the Aufbau principle: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, and so on. Electrons fill the lowest energy orbitals first.
3. Start filling the orbitals with electrons: the 1s orbital can hold 2 electrons, so assign 2 electrons to 1s.
4. Next, fill the 2s orbital, which also holds 2 electrons, so assign 2 electrons to 2s.
5. Finally, place the remaining 6 electrons in the 2p orbital, which can hold up to 6 electrons. This completes the configuration for neon as \$1\text{s}^2 2\text{s}^2 2\text{p}^6$.