Step 1: Determine Oxygen’s atomic number
Oxygen (O) has an atomic number of 8, meaning it has 8 electrons in a neutral atom.
Step 2: Order of orbital filling
Electrons fill orbitals in order of increasing energy:
Capacities:
- : 2 electrons
- : 2 electrons
- : 6 electrons
Step 3: Assign electrons
For 8 electrons:
- : 2 electrons (filled)
- : 2 electrons (filled, total 4)
- : 4 electrons (total 8)
So, the configuration is:
Step 4: Check options
- (1) : Correct, matches our calculation.
- (2) : Total 10 electrons (Neon), incorrect.
- (3) : Total 7 electrons (Nitrogen), incorrect.
- (4) : Incorrect, as Oxygen’s electrons are in 2p, not 3p.
Step 5: Conclusion
The correct configuration is option (1).