What is the electron configuration of argon?

The electron configuration for argon is 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6, which can be abbreviated to [Ne] 3s2 3p6. The electron configuration of the element indicates the location of the 18 electrons in an uncharged atom of argon.

The first number in each grouping of the electron configuration represents the energy level, or shell. The letters indicate the sub-shell in which the electrons are located, which are also called orbitals. The number after the sub-shell shows the number of electrons that each sub-shell at each particular energy level contains. Argon is in group 18 of the periodic table of elements, which contains the noble gases.