Practice question
Question
Which element has the ground state electronic configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁶ 4s²?
Explanation
This configuration (Z=26) corresponds to Fe (period 4, group 8), with 3d⁶ 4s², distinguishing it from Mn (3d⁵ 4s²), Co (3d⁷ 4s²), or Ni (3d⁸ 4s²).