Question

The outermost shell electronic configuration of an element ‘A’ (symbol given is not real) is $3{s^2}3{p^4}$ .
A. To which period of the periodic table does this element belong to?
B. Find the group number of the element.
C. Which is the block to which the element belongs?

Answer 1

Sulfur is a chemical element with the symbol $'S'$ and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ${S_8}$ . Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow, crystalline solid at room temperature.

Complete answer:
According to the question, the outermost shell electronic configuration of the given element is $3{s^2}3{p^4}$. This means that the complete electronic configuration of the element ‘A’ is:
$1{s^2}2{s^2}2{p^6}3{s^2}3{p^4}$
The above electronic configuration is true for the element Sulfur. Now let us determine the solution for each sub-part of the question one by one.

A.Taking the electronic configuration as reference, the period of the periodic table to which sulfur belongs to is equal to the shell number in which the outermost electron of sulfur enters into. Thus, sulfur belongs to the 3rd period.

B.The group number of the element in which the valence electron enters into the p-subshell can be determined by the following relation:
Group number = $10 + np$ electrons
Thus, the group number = $10 + 6 = 16$

C.The block of the element is determined by looking at which orbital the final electron enters into. Thus, according to the electronic configuration of sulfur, the sulfur belongs to the p-block of the periodic table.

Note:
Sulfur is the tenth most common element by mass in the universe, and the fifth most common on Earth. Though sometimes found in pure, native form, sulfur on Earth usually occurs as sulfide and sulfate minerals. The greatest commercial use of the element is the production of sulfuric acid for sulfate and phosphate fertilizers, and other chemical processes.