Question: A certain isotope has an atomic number of 6 and a mass number of 14. a) Calculate the number of protons and neutrons in this isotope. b) Determine the electron configuration for this isotope.

Answer: a) To calculate the number of protons and neutrons in this isotope, we need to know the standard notation of the element. The atomic number (Z) is 6, and the mass number (A) is 14. The number of protons is given by the atomic number, which is Z = 6. The number of neutrons can be found by subtracting the number of protons from the mass number: Number of neutrons = A - Z = 14 - 6 = 8 So, there are 6 protons and 8 neutrons in this isotope.

b) The electron configuration for the element can be found by writing out the energy levels and filling the orbitals according to the Aufbau principle. The electron configuration for the given isotope is: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^2 3s^2 3p^2 Explanation:

• The first energy level (n=1) can hold a maximum of 2 electrons, so the 1s orbital is filled with 2 electrons.
• The second energy level (n=2) can hold a maximum of 8 electrons. The 2s orbital is filled with 2 electrons, and the 2p orbital is filled with 2 electrons (2p^2).
• The third energy level (n=3) can also hold a maximum of 8 electrons. The 3s orbital is filled with 2 electrons, and the 3p orbital is filled with 2 electrons (3p^2). So, the electron configuration for this isotope is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^2 3s^2 3p^2.

Therefore, the isotope with atomic number 6 and mass number 14 has 6 protons and 8 neutrons, and its electron configuration is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^2 3s^2 3p^2.