Answer :
Final answer:
The correct order of increasing energy for the electron subshells 2p, 4s, 3s, and 3p is 3s, 3p, 4s, followed by 2p. This order is based on the understood principles of electron configurations and atomic structure.
Explanation:
When listing electron subshells 2p, 4s, 3s, and 3p in order of increasing energy, we need to consider the principles of electron configuration and atomic structure. According to these principles, energy levels and subshell filling are governed by the principal quantum number (n), and within a shell, by the angular momentum quantum number (l).
Here's how the subshells are organized based on their energy:
- 3s
- 3p
- 4s
- 2p
This order reflects the standard filling sequence observed experimentally and confirmed by theoretical calculations, depicting that while the energy of orbitals generally increases with the principal quantum number, there are cases where a higher n-level subshell (like 4s) can have lower energy than a lower n-level subshell (like 3d).
Therefore, the correct order of increasing energy of the given subshells is 3s, 3p, 4s, followed by 2p. This sequence is validated by the overall trend that the energy associated with an orbital is higher for orbitals with a higher principal quantum number, as well as the observation that, for atoms beyond hydrogen, the s subshells fill before the corresponding p orbitals within a given principal energy level.
