Which atom has the smallest valence p atomic orbital?

-Carbon
-Nitrogen
-Sulfur
Why?
A. That atom has the highest electronegativity.
B. That atom has the fewest number of electrons.
C. That atom does not have electrons in p orbitals.
D. The valence electrons for that atom have a principle quantum number of 2.
E. Two of these.

Nitrogen A

To determine which atom has the smallest valence p atomic orbital, we need to consider the atomic structure and electron configuration of each atom.

The valence p atomic orbital refers to the p orbitals in the outermost energy level of an atom.

A. Electronegativity does not directly affect the size of the valence p atomic orbital. Electronegativity is the ability of an atom to attract bonding electrons towards itself in a chemical bond.

B. The number of electrons an atom has does not determine the size of the valence p atomic orbital. The number of valence electrons can affect the reactivity of an atom, but it does not determine the size of the atomic orbital.

C. If an atom does not have electrons in the p orbitals, it does not have a valence p atomic orbital. However, all three atoms (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur) have p orbitals in their electron configurations, so this option is not correct.

D. The principle quantum number determines the energy level of the electron. Higher principle quantum numbers correspond to larger atomic orbitals, so an atom with valence electrons having a principle quantum number of 2 would have a larger atomic orbital than an atom with a principle quantum number of 3 or higher. Therefore, option D is not correct.

Based on the explanations above, the correct answer is E. The atom with the smallest valence p atomic orbital is the atom with the highest electronegativity and p orbitals in its electron configuration, which is nitrogen. Nitrogen has the smallest valence p atomic orbital among carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur.

The correct answer is C. That atom does not have electrons in p orbitals.

Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur are all elements from the same period in the periodic table, so they have the same principal quantum number for their valence shells. However, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur each have different numbers of valence electrons in their p orbitals.

Carbon has 2 electrons in its valence p orbitals, nitrogen has 3 electrons in its valence p orbitals, and sulfur has 4 electrons in its valence p orbitals. Therefore, the atom with the smallest valence p atomic orbital is carbon, as it has the fewest number of electrons in its p orbitals.