What is the ground-state electron configuration of sulfur (S, atomic number 16) in simplified noble-gas notation?

• A. $\left[Ne\right]3^{s}23^{p}6$
• B. $\left[Ne\right]3^{s}23^{p}4$
• C. $\left[He\right]2^{s}22^{p}63^{s}23^{p}4$
• D. $\left[\mathrm{Ar}\right]4^{s}2$

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the atomic number of sulfur, which is 16. This means sulfur has 16 electrons in its neutral ground state.
2. Recall the order of filling electron orbitals according to the Aufbau principle: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, and so on.
3. Write the full electron configuration for sulfur by filling orbitals in order until you reach 16 electrons: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴.
4. Express the electron configuration in noble-gas notation by replacing the configuration of the previous noble gas (neon, with 10 electrons) with its symbol [Ne], followed by the remaining electrons: [Ne] 3s² 3p⁴.
5. Verify that the total number of electrons adds up to 16 and that the configuration matches the expected distribution for sulfur's ground state.