Which is the correct simplified electron configuration for carbon?

• A. $1^{s}22^{s}22^{p}2$
• B. $1^{s}22^{s}22^{p}4$
• C. $1^{s}22^{s}12^{p}3$
• D. $1^{s}22^{s}23^{p}2$

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the atomic number of carbon, which is 6. This means a neutral carbon atom has 6 electrons to place in its electron configuration.
2. Step 2: Recall the order in which electron orbitals are filled according to the Aufbau principle: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, and so on.
3. Step 3: Fill the orbitals starting from the lowest energy level: place 2 electrons in the 1s orbital, then 2 electrons in the 2s orbital.
4. Step 4: Place the remaining electrons in the 2p orbital. Since carbon has 6 electrons total, after filling 1s and 2s orbitals, place the remaining 2 electrons in the 2p orbital.
5. Step 5: Write the simplified electron configuration by combining the filled orbitals with their electron counts: \$1\text{s}^2 2\text{s}^2 2\text{p}^2$.