Electronic Configurations

Question 1

What do electrons occupy?

Answer 1

electron shells

Question 2

What order are electron shells filled in?

Answer 2

starting with the innermost and moving outwards

Question 3

How many electrons does the first shell hold?

Answer 3

2

Question 4

How many electrons does the second shell hold?

Answer 4

8

Question 5

An element has 2 electrons in the innermost shell, 8 in the next one, and 1 in the outer shell.
What is its electronic configuration, and how many electrons does it have in total?

Answer 5

2.8.1

11 total electrons

Question 6

What does group number determine?

Answer 6

number of electrons in outer shell

Question 7

What does period number determine?

Answer 7

number of electron shells

Question 8

Flerovium is an element that was discovered at the end of the twentieth century.
Its electronic configuration is 2.8.18.32.32.18.4.
Explain where it should be placed in the periodic table.

Answer 8

Flerovium should be placed in group 4 because it has four electrons in its outer shell. It should be placed in period 7 because it has seven occupied shells.

Question 9

Draw the electronic configuration of chlorine, atomic number 17.

Answer 9

diagram with three circles, with two electrons in the first circle, eight in the second and seven in the outermost circle

Question 10

Describe the links between the electronic configuration of an element and its position in the periodic table.

Answer 10

number of occupied shells is the same as the period number, the number of electrons in the outer shell is the same as the group number (except for the elements in group 0, which have full outer shells)