The electron configuration of nitrogen (atomic number 7) is \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^3\). To achieve a stable electron configuration, nitrogen typically seeks to attain the stable electronic configuration of a noble gas, such as neon, which has 8 electrons in its outer shell.
To achieve this stable configuration, nitrogen would need to gain 3 electrons to fill its 2p subshell, giving it a total of 8 electrons in its outer shell (2 in the 1s and 2 in the 2s and 4 in the 2p, making it \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6\)).
Therefore, the correct answer is:
D. It would gain three electrons.