Question

How many electrons are in the valence shell of each atom? (a) Carbon (b) Nitrogen (c) Chlorine (d) Aluminum

Short answer

Answer: (a) Carbon: 4 valence electrons, (b) Nitrogen: 5 valence electrons, (c) Chlorine: 7 valence electrons, (d) Aluminum: 3 valence electrons.

Step-by-step solution

(a) Carbon

Carbon's atomic number is 6, and its electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p². The valence electrons are the ones in the outermost shell, so in this case, the second shell with the 2s² and 2p² orbitals. There are a total of 4 valence electrons for Carbon.

(b) Nitrogen

Nitrogen's atomic number is 7, and its electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p³. Similar to Carbon, Nitrogen's valence shell is the second shell, which has the 2s² and 2p³ orbitals. There are a total of 5 valence electrons for Nitrogen.

(c) Chlorine

Chlorine's atomic number is 17, and its electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁵. The valence electrons are in the outermost shell, the third shell with the 3s² and 3p⁵ orbitals. There are a total of 7 valence electrons for Chlorine.

(d) Aluminum

Aluminum's atomic number is 13, and its electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹. The valence shell is the third shell, which has the 3s² and 3p¹ orbitals. There are a total of 3 valence electrons for Aluminum.