What is the ground-state electron configuration of germanium (Ge) using noble-gas shorthand?

• A. $\left[Ne\right]3^s{3}^p{4}^s{3}^d{4}^p$
• B. $\left[Ar\right]4^s{3}^d{4}^p$
• C. $\left[Ar\right]4^s{3}^d{4}^p$
• D. $\left[Ar\right]4^s{3}^d{4}^p$

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the atomic number of germanium (Ge), which is 32. This tells us the total number of electrons to place in the electron configuration.
2. Start with the noble gas preceding germanium in the periodic table, which is argon (Ar) with atomic number 18. Use its electron configuration as the shorthand base: \([\mathrm{Ar}]\).
3. Add electrons to the orbitals beyond argon following the Aufbau principle, which fills orbitals in order of increasing energy: first fill the 4s orbital, then the 3d orbital, and then the 4p orbital.
4. Assign 2 electrons to the 4s orbital, then fill the 3d orbital with 10 electrons, and finally place the remaining electrons in the 4p orbital. Since germanium has 32 electrons, after argon's 18, you have 14 electrons left to distribute.
5. Write the full shorthand electron configuration as \([\mathrm{Ar}]\,4s^{2}\,3d^{10}\,4p^{2}\), which represents the ground-state electron configuration of germanium.