To determine the appropriate noble gas symbol for the given partial electron configuration [tex]\(4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^2\)[/tex], we need to analyze the electron configurations of the noble gases and find the preceding noble gas closest to the given configuration.
1. Identify the preceding noble gas:
[tex]\[ \text{Noble gases in order of atomic number:} \][/tex]
[tex]\[
\begin{aligned}
&\text{Helium (He)}: \ [1s^2] \\
&\text{Neon (Ne)}: \ [1s^2 2s^2 2p^6] \\
&\text{Argon (Ar)}: \ [1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6] \\
&\text{Krypton (Kr)}: \ [1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^6] \\
&\text{Xenon (Xe)}: \ [1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^6 5s^2 4d^{10} 5p^6] \\
\end{aligned}
\][/tex]
2. Analyze the given partial configuration [tex]\(4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^2\)[/tex]:
By adding these up, you get the following full electron configuration up to that point:
[tex]\[ [Ar] \ 4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^2 \][/tex]
3. Determine the preceding noble gas configuration:
From the list, the preceding noble gas to this configuration is Argon [tex]\((Ar)\)[/tex].
4. Final configuration:
Replacing the full configuration up to Argon with its symbol, we get:
[tex]\[ [Ar] \ 4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^2 \][/tex]
So, the correct noble gas symbol to place in front of the given partial electron configuration [tex]\(4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^2\)[/tex] is [tex]\([Ar]\)[/tex].
