How many unpaired electrons are there in the ground state of element N?
A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nitrogen (N) has an atomic number of 7, which means it has 7 electrons. In its ground state, these electrons fill up the 1s, 2s, and 2p orbitals. The electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p³. In the 2p orbital, there are three electrons, each occupying one of the three p orbitals (px, py, pz) singly before any pairing occurs, according to Hund's rule. Therefore, there are 3 unpaired electrons in the ground state of nitrogen.

How Many Unpaired Electrons Are There in the Ground State