Question
Which element would have a full outer shell of electrons if it gained three electrons?
A. argon
B. nitrogen
C. boron
D. lithium
A. argon
B. nitrogen
C. boron
D. lithium
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
To determine which element would have a full outer shell of electrons if it gained three electrons, we need to consider the electron configurations and the number of valence electrons for each of the elements listed:
A. **Argon (Ar)** - Argon has 8 valence electrons (full outer shell). Gaining three electrons would give it 11 valence electrons, which is unnecessary.
B. **Nitrogen (N)** - Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons. If it gains three more electrons, it would have 8 valence electrons, which would fill its outer shell.
C. **Boron (B)** - Boron has 3 valence electrons. Gaining three electrons would give it 6 valence electrons, which is not a full outer shell.
D. **Lithium (Li)** - Lithium has 1 valence electron. Gaining three electrons would give it 4 valence electrons, which is not a full outer shell.
The only element that would have a full outer shell if it gained three electrons is **B. nitrogen**.
A. **Argon (Ar)** - Argon has 8 valence electrons (full outer shell). Gaining three electrons would give it 11 valence electrons, which is unnecessary.
B. **Nitrogen (N)** - Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons. If it gains three more electrons, it would have 8 valence electrons, which would fill its outer shell.
C. **Boron (B)** - Boron has 3 valence electrons. Gaining three electrons would give it 6 valence electrons, which is not a full outer shell.
D. **Lithium (Li)** - Lithium has 1 valence electron. Gaining three electrons would give it 4 valence electrons, which is not a full outer shell.
The only element that would have a full outer shell if it gained three electrons is **B. nitrogen**.