answersLogoWhite

0

An orbital is made up of 2 electrons and any orbitals left with only 1 electron is considered unpaired.

For example, the element P, has an Atomic Mass of 15. So the electron configuration is 1s^2, 2s^2, 2p^6, 3s^2, 3p^3 (The exponents add up tp 15).

Once you figure out the electron configuration, you fill up the corresponding orbitals with electrons, any left with one is considered unpaired. Since 1s can only hold 2 electrons, and P has 15, that's obviously filled and has no unpaired electrons. The same is for 2s which holds 2, 2p which holds 6, 3s which holds 2.

However 3p can hold 6 electrons and in order for that to be filled up you would need to have an element of 18 electrons. So you fill up as much as you can in 3p by first adding 1 electron to each energy level. 3p has 3 energy levels and there are only 3 electrons left to distribute, so each of those energy levels only gets 1, because you have to fill them all with one before you can start adding a second.

So since you are only able to fill one electron in each of the three energy levels of the 3p orbital, that leaves the orbital open for 1 more electron in each of its energy levels. So there are 3 unpaired electrons in P.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Natural Sciences

What does the number of unpaired dots in a electron dot diagram tell you?

The number of unpaired dots in an electron dot diagram indicates the number of unpaired valence electrons in an atom. These unpaired electrons are crucial for determining how an atom will bond with others, as they can participate in chemical bonding. Atoms with unpaired electrons are more likely to form covalent bonds, while those with all paired electrons are typically less reactive. Thus, unpaired dots provide insight into an element's bonding behavior and reactivity.


What is the number of unpaired electrons elements in noble gas?

There are no unpaired electrons. All electron shells are filled; this is the reason they are called the noble gases.


How do you deduce the number of unpaired electrons for the correct ground state configuration?

To deduce the number of unpaired electrons in the ground state configuration of an atom, you can follow Hund's Rule. Fill up the orbitals with electrons, pairing them up first before placing them in separate orbitals. The unpaired electrons are those that remain in separate orbitals after all orbitals are filled with paired electrons. Count these unpaired electrons to determine the total.


How many unpaired electrons are in strontium?

There are no unpaired electrons in strontium.


How many unpaired electrons are there in stadium?

Stadium (St) is an element with the atomic number 51. It has a ground-state electron configuration of [Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p³. In this configuration, the 5p subshell has three electrons, which are unpaired. Therefore, there are three unpaired electrons in stadium.

Related Questions

Paramagnetism and number of unpaired electrons relation?

Paramagnetism arises from the presence of unpaired electrons in an atom or molecule. When an element or compound has one or more unpaired electrons, it will be attracted to an external magnetic field, exhibiting paramagnetic properties. The greater the number of unpaired electrons, the stronger the paramagnetic behavior observed.


What states that for an atom in the ground state the number of unpaired electrons is the maximum possible and these unpaired electrons have the same spin?

Hund's Rule


How many unpaired electrons are in a sulfur atom if the atomic number is 16?

There are 2 unpaired electrons in a sulfur atom with an atomic number of 16. Sulfur has 6 electrons in its outer shell, and 4 of them are used to form covalent bonds, leaving 2 unpaired electrons.


How is the number of unpaird valence electrons in an atom related to the number of bonds that the atom can form?

The number of unpaired valence electrons in an atom is related to the number of bonds it can form because each unpaired electron can participate in bonding with another atom to form a bond. Generally, an atom can form as many bonds as it has unpaired valence electrons available for bonding.


How many number of unpaired electrons does copper have?

one


How many unpaired electrons are there arsenic?

There are three unpaired electrons in an arsenic atom. Arsenic has five valence electrons, with two paired and three unpaired electrons.


How many unpaired electrons are in sulfur atom atomic number 16?

There are 2 unpaired electrons in a sulfur atom with atomic number 16. This is because sulfur has a total of 6 electron in its outermost shell, with 4 paired electrons and 2 unpaired electrons in its electron configuration.


What is the number of unpaired electrons elements in noble gas?

There are no unpaired electrons. All electron shells are filled; this is the reason they are called the noble gases.


How do you deduce the number of unpaired electrons for the correct ground state configuration?

To deduce the number of unpaired electrons in the ground state configuration of an atom, you can follow Hund's Rule. Fill up the orbitals with electrons, pairing them up first before placing them in separate orbitals. The unpaired electrons are those that remain in separate orbitals after all orbitals are filled with paired electrons. Count these unpaired electrons to determine the total.


What is the number of unpaired electrons in a cesium atom?

i think its one


How many unpaired electrons are in strontium?

There are no unpaired electrons in strontium.


How many unpaired electrons are in a sulfur atom (atomic number 16)?

There are six unpaired electrons in a sulfur atom (atomic number 16) because sulfur has six valence electrons in its outer shell.