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Iron has an electronic configuration of [Ar] 3d6 4s2. Both outer shells (3 and 4 are incomplete - this is typical for the transition metals, and explained by the aufbau principle. In theory you would need an additional 4 electrons to fill the 3d shell (making it d10), and additionally 6 p electrons, 10 d electrons and 14 f electrons to fill the 4th

What happens in practise is the iron has common oxidation states of 2 (losing the 4s2 electrons) and 3 (additionally losing one d electron).

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11y ago
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3mo ago

Iron needs to gain 2 electrons to have a full outer shell, since it has an atomic number of 26 and is seeking the stable electron configuration of the closest noble gas, which is argon (with 18 electrons in its outer shell). Iron typically forms +2 or +3 ions to achieve this electron configuration.

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15y ago

An iron atom has 2 electrons on its outer shell

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12y ago

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Q: How many electrons does iron need to have a full outer shell?
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Charge of IronIII Ion?

The charge of the Iron(III) ion is +3. This means that the Iron atom has lost three electrons to become more stable and achieve a full outer shell of electrons.


How many electrons are in the outer most shell of an atom of iron?

If I remember well there are 3.


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What is the valance shell of iron?

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How many electrons does iron have in each shell?

A neutral isotope of iron has 26 electrons. Iron has 4 energy levels as follows: * The first level holds 2 * The second level holds 8 * The third level holds 14 * The fourth level holds 2 So iron has 2 valence electrons. The Bohr diagram is shown below: