There are ________ unpaired electrons in a ground state fluorine atom.
A)0
B)1
C)2
D)3
E)4

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fluorine has 9 electrons, with 2 in the first shell and 7 in the second. In the ground state, it has a filled 1s orbital and a filled 2s orbital, with 5 electrons in 2p orbitals. Each p orbital can hold 2 electrons, but in the ground state, there is only one electron in each of the three 2p orbitals. Therefore, there is one unpaired electron in a ground state fluorine atom.

There Are ________ Unpaired Electrons in a Ground State Fluorine