1. Lewis Structure of Thionyl Chloride (SOCl₂):
* Sulfur (S): 6 valence electrons
* Oxygen (O): 6 valence electrons
* Chlorine (Cl): 7 valence electrons (x2)
The Lewis structure shows that sulfur forms a double bond with oxygen and a single bond with each chlorine atom.
2. Determine Chlorine's Electron Configuration:
* Chlorine's Ground State Electron Configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁵
* Chlorine in SOCl₂: Each chlorine atom gains one electron from the bond with sulfur, giving them a full octet. This means their electron configuration becomes 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶.
3. Identify the Noble Gas:
* Argon (Ar): has the electron configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶
Therefore, Argon (Ar) has the same ground state electron configuration as chlorine in thionyl chloride.
