What is nickel’s electron configuration?

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Detailed Solution

Nickel (Ni, atomic number 28) has 28 electrons. Its electron configuration is:

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁸ 4s² or in condensed form: [Ar] 3d⁸ 4s²

Explanation:

The nearest noble gas to Ni is Argon (Ar, atomic number 18).
After Argon, the next 10 electrons fill the orbitals in the order:
- 4s orbital gets 2 electrons.
- 3d orbital gets 8 electrons.
Therefore, Ni has a ground-state configuration of [Ar] 3d⁸ 4s².

In excited states or in complexes, Nickel may also exhibit configurations like [Ar] 3d⁹ 4s¹ (due to stability reasons), but the standard ground-state configuration is [Ar] 3d⁸ 4s².

Final Answer: Nickel’s electron configuration is [Ar] 3d⁸ 4s².

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