Ytterbium, atomic number, 70 is the first element in the periodic table to have the first four shells full.

work out the number of electrons in the fourth shell/ level of ytterbium?

Please show all working out with no abbreviations and please help

Ytterbium

Electronic configuration

Electronic configuration
1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p64d105s25p64f145d106s2

To determine the number of electrons in the fourth shell/level of ytterbium (Yb), we need to understand the electron configuration of ytterbium.

Ytterbium has an atomic number of 70, indicating that there are 70 electrons in total. To identify the electron configuration, we can use the periodic table.

The electron configuration of ytterbium is written as [Xe] 4f^14 6s^2 6p^6 5d^1 6s^2, where [Xe] represents the electron configuration of xenon (a noble gas) and the subsequent subscripts indicate the number of electrons in each orbital.

To identify the number of electrons in the fourth shell/level, we observe the energy levels associated with the electron configuration. In ytterbium, the fourth shell corresponds to the 4f orbital.

The number of electrons in the 4f orbital is 14, as indicated by the superscript in the electron configuration ([Xe] 4f^14 6s^2 6p^6 5d^1 6s^2).

Therefore, ytterbium has 14 electrons in its fourth shell/level.

To determine the number of electrons in the fourth shell (or energy level) of ytterbium, we need to understand a few principles related to electron configuration.

1. Electrons fill atomic orbitals according to the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons occupy lower energy orbitals before higher energy ones.
2. Each shell can hold a specific number of electrons, given by the formula 2n^2, where n is the shell number.

For Ytterbium (Yb), we need to figure out the electron configuration to identify the number of electrons in the fourth shell.

Step 1: Find the electron configuration of Ytterbium.
To do this, we consult the periodic table and find Yb, which is located in the f-block of Group 3 (or the lanthanide series) in the periodic table.

Ytterbium's electron configuration is:
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^10 4p^6 5s^2 4d^10 5p^6 6s^2 4f^14 5d^1 6p^6 7s^2

Step 2: Determine the number of electrons in the fourth shell.
In Ytterbium's electron configuration, the fourth shell (energy level) is represented by the 4s, 4p, and 4d orbitals. We need to sum up the number of electrons in these orbitals to find the total number in the fourth shell.

The 4s orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons.
The 4p orbital can hold a maximum of 6 electrons.
The 4d orbital can hold a maximum of 10 electrons.

Therefore, the total number of electrons in the fourth shell is:
2 (4s) + 6 (4p) + 10 (4d) = 18 electrons.

Thus, Ytterbium has 18 electrons in its fourth shell.