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Q. What is the electron configuration of chromium?
Answer: Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. The first element in group 6 of the periodic table is known as the “transition metals. ” It is a transition metal, showing properties of metals and non-metals both. Chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten are known as “refractory” metals. It is a lustrous grey coloured metal.
Its hardness makes it useful as a fuel in steel and iron-processing plants, construction sites, or even nuclear reactors.
The electron configuration of chromium is [Ar]3d⁵ 4s¹
Concerning Aufbau’s electron configuration method, the expected configuration of the chromium is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴ 4s² 3d⁹
But the electron configuration of chromium is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴ 3d⁵ 4s¹.
This difference can be explained by looking at how electron subshells are filled. Chromium has two electrons in its 3s and 4s subshells, so it will have a 3d⁵ 4s¹ electron configuration because it needs to fill those two subshells.
Two electrons can be filled in the 3d⁵ subshell, the most likely configuration.
All the valence electrons in chromium are on different orbitals. The half-filled shell shows valence shell configuration and supports the stability of the electrons.
Thus, the correct electron configuration of chromium is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴ 3d⁵ 4s¹.
