Question

What electrically neutral atom will have an electron configuration of `1s^2 2s^2 2p^4`?

Answer 1

The element is oxygen.

Explanation:

Oxygen's atomic number is 8, meaning that it has 8 protons in the nuclei of its atoms. In a neutral oxygen atom, there are also 8 electrons. The electron configuration `"1s"^2"2s"^2"2p"^4"` has a total of 8 electrons. Since it was indicated that this is the electron configuration of a neutral atom, it must be oxygen.