Question

The atomic number of an element Y is 16.

1. What must an atom of Y do to achieve the nearest inert gas electron arrangement?
2. Which inert gas is nearest to Y?

Answer 1

1. Element Y (which is sulphur) has 6 valence electrons. Gaining 2 electrons is the easiest way to satisfy the octet rule and complete its outermost shell.
2. Argon gas is the nearest inert gas to Y. After gaining two electrons, it will have 18 electrons with an electronic configuration of 2, 8, 8, which represents argon gas.