Ground State Configuration
* Magnesium (Mg) has an atomic number of 12, meaning it has 12 electrons.
* Its ground state electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s².
Excited State Configuration
* An excited state occurs when an electron absorbs energy and jumps to a higher energy level.
* In magnesium, the most likely excitation is for an electron from the 3s orbital to move to the 3p orbital.
* This results in the excited state electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹ 3p¹.
Important Notes:
* There are other possible excited states, but the one described above is the most common.
* Excited states are unstable and the electron will eventually return to its ground state, releasing the absorbed energy as light.
Let me know if you'd like more details on excited states or electron configurations!
