How many unpaired electrons are present in a nitrogen atom? (2023)
Practice Questions
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How many unpaired electrons are present in a nitrogen atom? (2023)
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Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7, with the electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p³, resulting in 3 unpaired electrons in the 2p subshell.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: How many unpaired electrons are present in a nitrogen atom? (2023)
Solution: Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7, with the electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p³, resulting in 3 unpaired electrons in the 2p subshell.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Identify the atomic number of nitrogen, which is 7.
Step 2: Understand that the atomic number indicates the number of electrons in a neutral atom.
Step 3: Write the electron configuration for nitrogen: 1s² 2s² 2p³.
Step 4: Break down the electron configuration: 1s² means 2 electrons in the first shell, 2s² means 2 electrons in the second shell, and 2p³ means 3 electrons in the second shell's p subshell.
Step 5: Focus on the 2p subshell, which has 3 electrons.
Step 6: Determine how many of these 3 electrons are unpaired. In the p subshell, electrons fill each orbital singly before pairing up. Therefore, all 3 electrons in the 2p subshell are unpaired.
Step 7: Conclude that nitrogen has 3 unpaired electrons.
