The number of unpaired electrons in an atom of an element 8Q is _______?
Answer Details
To determine the number of unpaired electrons in an atom of an element, we need to know its electron configuration. The electron configuration of an element describes how its electrons are distributed in energy levels or orbitals. The element Q has an atomic number of 8, which means it has 8 electrons in its neutral state. To determine its electron configuration, we can use the periodic table. Q is in the second period and the 6th group (also known as group 16 or the oxygen group), which means it has 6 valence electrons. The electron configuration for Q is: 1s2 2s2 2p4 To determine the number of unpaired electrons, we need to look at the electron configuration and identify how many electrons occupy each orbital. In the case of Q, there are two electrons in the 2s orbital and four electrons in the 2p orbitals. The 2p orbitals each have one electron with the same spin, which means they are unpaired. Therefore, Q has 2 unpaired electrons. The answer is (A) 2.