Which element has the electron configuration #[Xe]6s^2 4f^14 5d^10 6p^2#?

1 Answer
May 19, 2016

The electronic configuration is there to distract you: #Z=54+2+14+10+2=82#, and, therefore, the element is LEAD.

Explanation:

The element is defined by #Z#, the atomic number, which is the number of protons, positively charged, massive nuclear particles. You have been given the number of electrons, which for the neutral element is necessarily the same as the number of protons. Look up the Periodic Table, and for #Z=82#, you find #"Pb"#. Capisce?

Note that for every exam in Chemistry and Physics you will ever sit, you should, and must be supplied with a Periodic Table, so this question is not a test of memory, but of interpretation.