Element of group 14 (IV A) have outer electronic configuration of

Options

A. `ns^(2)`
B. `ns^(2) np^(4)`
C. `ns^(2) np^(4)`
D. `ns^(2) np^(2)`

Answer

To determine the outer electronic configuration of elements in Group 14 (IV A), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Group and Elements
Group 14 of the periodic table includes the elements carbon (C), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), and lead (Pb).

### Step 2: Understand the Electronic Configuration
The outer electronic configuration refers to the arrangement of electrons in the outermost shell of an atom. For Group 14 elements, we need to find the general pattern of their outermost electrons.

### Step 3: Analyze the Electronic Configuration of Carbon
- Carbon has an atomic number of 6.
- Its electronic configuration is:
- 1s² 2s² 2p².
- The outermost shell (n=2) has 4 electrons (2 in s and 2 in p).

### Step 4: Generalize for Other Group 14 Elements
- For silicon (Si, atomic number 14):
- Electronic configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p².
- The outermost shell (n=3) has 4 electrons (2 in s and 2 in p).

- For germanium (Ge, atomic number 32):
- Electronic configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 4p².
- The outermost shell (n=4) has 4 electrons (2 in s and 2 in p).

- For tin (Sn, atomic number 50):
- Electronic configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 4p⁶ 5s² 5p².
- The outermost shell (n=5) has 4 electrons (2 in s and 2 in p).

- For lead (Pb, atomic number 82):
- Electronic configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 4p⁶ 5s² 5p⁶ 6s² 6p².
- The outermost shell (n=6) has 4 electrons (2 in s and 2 in p).

### Step 5: Conclude the General Outer Electronic Configuration
From the analysis, we can conclude that the outer electronic configuration for all elements in Group 14 is:
- **ns² np²**, where n corresponds to the principal quantum number of the outermost shell.

### Final Answer
The outer electronic configuration of elements in Group 14 (IV A) is **ns² np²**.

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