The electron configuration of an element is shown below.
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1
name the group this element belongs to in the periodic table and explain your answer.

The element is sodium and it belongs to Group 1.

Explanation:

Atomic number is defined as the number of electrons or number of protons present in a neutral atom.

Number of electrons in a neutral atom is determined by electronic configuration of an element.

The given electronic configuration is

Total number of electrons = [2 + 2 + 6 + 1] = 11

Atomic number of the element is 11

The element having atomic number '11' is sodium and it belongs to group 1 of the periodic table.

Hence, the element is sodium and it belongs to Group 1.