What is the shorthanded configuration of Mg and Cl?

The shorthand electron configurations for magnesium (Mg) and chlorine (Cl) are as follows:

Magnesium (Mg): The atomic number of magnesium is 12, meaning it has 12 electrons. The electron configuration in the shorthand notation is:

[Ne] 3s2

This indicates that magnesium has the same electron configuration as neon (Ne), which accounts for the first 10 electrons, followed by 2 electrons in the 3s subshell.

Chlorine (Cl): The atomic number of chlorine is 17, so it has 17 electrons. The shorthand electron configuration is:

[Ne] 3s2 3p5

For chlorine, it again starts with the electron configuration of neon, plus 2 electrons in the 3s subshell and 5 electrons in the 3p subshell. This configuration reflects chlorine’s position in the periodic table, as it is in group 17, which indicates its reactivity and the tendency to gain one electron to achieve a stable configuration similar to noble gases.