Respuesta :
Due to time and money constraint, the two possible tests that you could conduct are (#1)electronegativity test and (2)melting point. Other tests like the classification of metal/non-metal/metalloid, count of valence electron shells, and atomic radius can yield results that may refer to a lot of elements. On the other hand, electronegativity is specific and unique to every element. And also, it has the lowest error range (+/- 1 pm). Same applies with the boiling point which is also unique to every element.
Answer:
#1 atomic radius.
Explanation:
Hello,
In this case, since time and money are critical and additional points are given if one test is used, the best one would be the determination of the atomic radius including the error range of +/-1 pm. This lies on the fact that the atomic radius varies group-by-group by no less than 5 pm per element. For instance, nitrogen's atomic radius is about 56 pm and oxygen's one 48 pm (difference is more than 5pm), therefore, even with the associated error, such technique will be accurate in the light of the identification of the mysterious element with just one test.
Best regards.