16. Which is the correct electron dot diagram for the element silicon (Si)? dot (S)i. .Si. :Si: :ddot (Si):

To determine the correct electron dot diagram for silicon (Si), we need to consider its position on the periodic table and its electron configuration.<br /><br />Silicon is in Group 14 (or IV A) of the periodic table, which means it has four valence electrons. The electron configuration for silicon is \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^2\). The valence electrons are those in the outermost shell, which are the \(3s^2 3p^2\) electrons, totaling four valence electrons.<br /><br />The electron dot diagram, also known as a Lewis dot structure, represents these valence electrons as dots around the chemical symbol of the element. For silicon, you would place four dots around the symbol "Si" to represent its four valence electrons. These dots are typically placed one at a time on each side (top, bottom, left, right) before pairing them up.<br /><br />Therefore, the correct electron dot diagram for silicon (Si) is:<br /><br />```<br /> .<br />Si<br /> . .<br />```<br /><br />This shows one dot on three sides and two dots on one side, representing the four valence electrons of silicon.