Question
Use the periodic table to answer the question.
Which Statement about magnesium [Mg] and calcium [Ca] is correct?
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1 point
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They are both classified as noble gases.
They both have the same number of valence electrons.
They both have the same number of electron shells.
Which Statement about magnesium [Mg] and calcium [Ca] is correct?
*
1 point
Captionless Image
They are both classified as noble gases.
They both have the same number of valence electrons.
They both have the same number of electron shells.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To evaluate the statements about magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca):
1. **Noble gases**: This statement is incorrect because both magnesium and calcium are classified as alkaline earth metals, not noble gases. Noble gases are found in Group 18 of the periodic table.
2. **Same number of valence electrons**: This statement is correct. Both magnesium (which has 2 valence electrons) and calcium (which also has 2 valence electrons) belong to Group 2 of the periodic table and thus have the same number of valence electrons.
3. **Same number of electron shells**: This statement is incorrect. Magnesium has 3 electron shells (configuration: 2, 8, 2), while calcium has 4 electron shells (configuration: 2, 8, 8, 2).
Based on this analysis, the correct statement is:
**They both have the same number of valence electrons.**
1. **Noble gases**: This statement is incorrect because both magnesium and calcium are classified as alkaline earth metals, not noble gases. Noble gases are found in Group 18 of the periodic table.
2. **Same number of valence electrons**: This statement is correct. Both magnesium (which has 2 valence electrons) and calcium (which also has 2 valence electrons) belong to Group 2 of the periodic table and thus have the same number of valence electrons.
3. **Same number of electron shells**: This statement is incorrect. Magnesium has 3 electron shells (configuration: 2, 8, 2), while calcium has 4 electron shells (configuration: 2, 8, 8, 2).
Based on this analysis, the correct statement is:
**They both have the same number of valence electrons.**