The electronic configuration of an element is given as . What does this specific configuration repre — Periodic Table and Periodicity Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

This configuration corresponds to Chromium ($Cr$, $Z=24$). Expected configuration is $3d^4 4s^2$, but an electron shifts from 4s to 3d to achieve the highly stable half-filled $3d^5$ state. Therefore, $3d^5 4s^1$ is the lowest energy ground state, not an excited state.