How many core electrons are there in a ground state phosphorus atom?
Oh, Phosphorus, the life of the party in the atomic world! In its ground state, a phosphorus atom has a total of 10 core electrons. Just think of them as the responsible ones, holding everything down while the valence electrons are out there having all the fun!
To determine the number of core electrons in a ground state phosphorus atom, we need to understand the electron configuration of phosphorus.
Phosphorus (P) has an atomic number of 15, which means it has 15 electrons in total.
The electron configuration of phosphorus can be written as: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3
In this configuration, the 1s^2 and 2s^2 electrons are considered core electrons since they are in the innermost energy levels. The 2p^6, 3s^2, and 3p^3 electrons are the valence electrons.
Adding up the core electrons, we get:
2 + 2 = 4
Therefore, there are 4 core electrons in a ground state phosphorus atom.
To determine the number of core electrons in a ground state phosphorus atom, you need to consider the atomic structure of phosphorus.
Phosphorus (P) has an atomic number of 15, which indicates that it has 15 electrons. The electron configuration for phosphorus is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3.
The core electrons of an atom are those found in the inner electron shells or energy levels. In the electron configuration of phosphorus, the core electrons are those in the 1s, 2s, and 2p orbitals.
To find out the number of core electrons, you add up the electrons in these orbitals. In this case, the 1s orbital contains two electrons, the 2s orbital contains two electrons, and the 2p orbital contains a total of six electrons (2 + 2 + 6 = 10).
Therefore, a ground state phosphorus atom has 10 core electrons.
P is 15.
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3
Remove the outer electrons to find the core electrons.