What are the electron configurations of the six cations that sulfur forms, by losing one to six electrons? For cations with unpaired electrons, please provide orbital diagrams.

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insert step 1> Determine the electron configuration of a neutral sulfur atom. Sulfur has an atomic number of 16, so its electron configuration is: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^4.

insert step 2> Identify the order in which electrons are removed to form cations. Electrons are removed from the outermost shell first, starting with the highest energy level. For sulfur, this means removing electrons from the 3p orbital first, followed by the 3s orbital.

insert step 3> For each cation, remove the appropriate number of electrons from the electron configuration of neutral sulfur.

insert step 4> Write the electron configuration for each cation formed by removing 1 to 6 electrons.

insert step 5> For cations with unpaired electrons, draw the orbital diagrams to show the distribution of electrons in the orbitals, indicating unpaired electrons with single arrows.

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electron Configuration

Electron configuration describes the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals. It follows the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill lower-energy orbitals first. For sulfur, with an atomic number of 16, the ground state electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴. Understanding how to modify this configuration when electrons are lost to form cations is essential for determining the electron configurations of sulfur's cations.

Cation Formation

Cation formation occurs when an atom loses one or more electrons, resulting in a positively charged ion. For sulfur, this process involves removing electrons from the outermost orbitals, specifically the 3s and 3p orbitals. The number of electrons lost determines the charge of the cation, with sulfur capable of forming cations with charges ranging from +1 to +6. This concept is crucial for understanding the electron configurations of the resulting cations.

Orbital Diagrams

Orbital diagrams visually represent the arrangement of electrons in an atom's orbitals, using arrows to indicate electron spins. Each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons with opposite spins, and unpaired electrons are shown as single arrows. For cations with unpaired electrons, these diagrams help illustrate the electron distribution after ionization. Understanding how to construct these diagrams is important for analyzing the electronic structure of sulfur's cations.

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