Silicon has the atomic number 14 so a neutral silicon atom has 14 electrons. Identify its electron configuration. 142.72.8.42.8.6

The electron configuration of a neutral silicon atom (Si) is 2.8.4. Here's how we get to that:

1. Silicon has an atomic number of 14. This means it has 14 electrons in its neutral state.

2. The first two electrons will fill the 1s orbital. We write this as 1s².

3. The next two electrons will fill the 2s orbital. We write this as 2s².

4. The next six electrons will fill the 2p orbital. We write this as 2p⁶.

5. At this point, we have accounted for 10 electrons. We still have 4 more to account for.

6. The next two electrons will fill the 3s orbital. We write this as 3s².

7. The remaining two electrons will fill the 3p orbital. We write this as 3p².

So, the electron configuration of silicon is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p².

However, when we simplify this to the format of your question, we get 2.8.4. This means there are 2 electrons in the first energy level (K shell), 8 in the second (L shell), and 4 in the third (M shell).