(b) How many electrons must a sulfur atom gain to achieve an octe...

Question

(b) How many electrons must a sulfur atom gain to achieve an octet in its valence shell? (c) If an atom has the electron configuration 1s2 2s2 2p3, how many electrons must it gain to achieve an octet?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Understand the concept of an octet. An octet refers to having eight electrons in the valence shell, which is a stable electron configuration often seen in noble gases.. Step 2: For part (b), identify the electron configuration of a sulfur atom. Sulfur is in group 16 of the periodic table and has an atomic number of 16. Its electron configuration is:

{1s}^{2} {2s}^{2} {2p}^{6} {3s}^{2} {3p}^{4}

.. Step 3: Determine how many electrons sulfur needs to gain to achieve an octet in its valence shell. Sulfur's valence shell is the third shell, which currently has 6 electrons (3s² 3p⁴). To achieve an octet, it needs 8 electrons, so it must gain 2 electrons.. Step 4: For part (c), analyze the given electron configuration:

{1s}^{2} {2s}^{2} {2p}^{3}

. This configuration belongs to nitrogen, which is in group 15 of the periodic table.. Step 5: Calculate how many electrons nitrogen needs to gain to achieve an octet. The valence shell is the second shell, which currently has 5 electrons (2s² 2p³). To achieve an octet, it needs 8 electrons, so it must gain 3 electrons.

(b) How many electrons must a sulfur atom gain to achieve an octet in its valence shell? (c) If an atom has the electron configuration 1s2 2s2 2p3, how many electrons must it gain to achieve an octet?

Key Concepts

Octet Rule

Valence Electrons

Electron Configuration