To determine the electron configuration for boron, we need to consider its atomic number, which is 5. This means that a neutral boron atom has 5 electrons. These electrons will fill the available atomic orbitals in the order of increasing energy levels, following the Aufbau principle.
1. The first two electrons will fill the 1s orbital:
- [tex]\(1s^2\)[/tex]
2. The next two electrons will fill the 2s orbital:
- [tex]\(2s^2\)[/tex]
3. The fifth electron will go into one of the 2p orbitals:
- [tex]\(2p^1\)[/tex]
Putting this together, the electron configuration will be:
[tex]\[ 1s^2 \, 2s^2 \, 2p^1 \][/tex]
Thus, the electron configuration for boron is:
[tex]\[ 1s^2 \, 2s^2 \, 2p^1 \][/tex]
So, the correct option is:
[tex]\[ 1s^2 \, 2s^2 \, 2p^1 \][/tex]
