Period to which carbon belongs is

Options

A. 4th
B. 1st
C. 6th
D. 2nd

Answer

To determine the period to which carbon belongs, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Atomic Number of Carbon
Carbon has the atomic number 6. This means it has 6 protons and, in a neutral atom, also 6 electrons.

**Hint:** The atomic number of an element is always equal to the number of protons and electrons in a neutral atom.

### Step 2: Write the Electronic Configuration
The electronic configuration of carbon can be written as:
- 1s² 2s² 2p²

This configuration shows how the electrons are distributed in the various atomic orbitals.

**Hint:** The electronic configuration helps us understand how many electrons are in each shell and subshell.

### Step 3: Determine the Valence Electrons
From the electronic configuration, we can see that carbon has:
- 2 electrons in the 1s subshell
- 2 electrons in the 2s subshell
- 2 electrons in the 2p subshell

The valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell, which in this case are the electrons in the 2s and 2p orbitals. Therefore, carbon has 4 valence electrons.

**Hint:** Valence electrons are crucial for determining the chemical properties and reactivity of an element.

### Step 4: Identify the Principal Quantum Number
The principal quantum number (n) corresponds to the energy level (or shell) of the valence electrons. For carbon, the valence electrons are in the second shell (n=2).

**Hint:** The principal quantum number indicates the period of the element in the periodic table.

### Step 5: Determine the Period
Since the principal quantum number of the valence electrons of carbon is 2, we can conclude that carbon belongs to the 2nd period of the periodic table.

**Hint:** The period number in the periodic table is directly related to the principal quantum number of the outermost electrons.

### Conclusion
Thus, the period to which carbon belongs is the **2nd period**.

**Final Answer:** Carbon belongs to the 2nd period of the periodic table.