How will Fluorine (F) achieve a stable electron configuration?
Fluorine (F) will achieve a stable electron configuration by gaining one electron to fill its outermost energy level.
Fluorine has an atomic number of 9, which means it has 9 electrons. Its electron configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p5. The outermost energy level, or valence shell, is the 2p level, which has a maximum capacity of 6 electrons.
To achieve a stable electron configuration, fluorine needs to gain one more electron to fill its 2p level completely with 6 electrons. This allows it to follow the octet rule, which states that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve a full outer shell with 8 electrons.
So, fluorine will easily gain one electron to become a negatively charged ion, referred to as fluoride (F-). With this additional electron, fluorine will have a stable electron configuration of 2s2 2p6, which is the same as the nearest noble gas, neon (Ne).