Question

The electronic configuration of actinides is:

Answer 1

Hint: An atom's electron configuration is a description of how electrons are spread among the orbital shells and subshells. The electrons in the element's outermost shell are what determine the element's distinct chemistry. Atomic electron configurations follow a typical notation in which all electron-containing atomic subshells are arranged in a sequence and the number of electrons they possess is written in the superscript.

Complete step-by-step answer:
The Actinide series, commonly known as the actinides, include elements with atomic numbers $89$ to $103$. The series is found under the main body of the periodic table, one row below the Lanthanide series. The second series of the F block elements are the actinide series. The first element of the actinide series is actinium. The Lanthanide Series and Actinide Series are also classified as Rare Earth Metals. All elements of the actinide series have a wide range of oxidation numbers and are all radioactive.

The general electronic configuration of actinides is $\left[ {Rn} \right]5{f^{1 - 14}}6{d^{0 - 1}}7{s^2}$ . Here $\left[ {Rn} \right]$ represents the electronic configuration of Radium. The electronic configuration of Radium is taken because radium is the nearest noble gas. Due to the equal similarity in the energy of the electrons in the $6d$ and $5f$ subshells, the electrons enter the $5f$ orbital.

Thus, the electronic configuration of actinides is $\left[ {Rn} \right]5{f^{1 - 14}}6{d^{0 - 1}}7{s^2}$.

Note: The actinide elements' radioactivity is caused by their nuclear instability. The nucleus of an actinide element undergoes radioactive decay to become more stable, emitting gamma rays, alpha particles, beta particles, or neutrons.