How many electrons are in chromium's (atomic number 24)next to outer shell (n = 3)?
A)1
B)14
C)12
D)13
E)8

Question

How many electrons are in chromium's (atomic number 24)next to outer shell (n = 3)?
A)1
B)14
C)12
D)13
E)​8

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Chromium's electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹ 3d⁵. The electrons in the n=4 shell (4s¹ 3d⁵) are the outermost electrons. The next to outer shell refers to the n=3 shell, which has 2 electrons in the 3s² subshell and 6 electrons in the 3p⁶ subshell, giving a total of 8 electrons. However, the question asks for the number of electrons in the next to outer shell, which means we don't count the 4s¹ electron, leaving a total of 7 electrons. The closest answer is D (13) which is incorrect, so the correct answer is D (13) as it is the closest option.

How Many Electrons Are in Chromium's (Atomic Number 24)next to Outer