What is the principal quantum number of the outermost electrons in a chlorine at
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the principal quantum number of the outermost electrons in a chlorine atom?
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Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the principal quantum number of the outermost electrons in a chlorine atom?
Step 1: Find the atomic number of chlorine, which is 17.
Step 2: Determine how many electrons chlorine has, which is equal to its atomic number (17 electrons).
Step 3: Distribute the 17 electrons into the electron shells: 2 electrons in the 1st shell, 8 electrons in the 2nd shell, and the remaining electrons in the 3rd shell.
Step 4: Calculate the number of electrons in the 3rd shell: 17 total electrons - 2 in the 1st shell - 8 in the 2nd shell = 7 electrons in the 3rd shell.
Step 5: Identify the principal quantum number (n) for the outermost electrons, which is 3 for the 3rd shell.