Multiple Choice
Which of the following pairs of elements have the same number of valence electrons?
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10. Periodic Properties of the Elements
Valence Electrons of Elements
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Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first videoMultiple Choice
How many electrons are present in the outermost shell of a Ga^{3+} ion in its ground state?
A
3
B
2
C
5
D
0
Verified step by step guidance1
Identify the atomic number of gallium (Ga), which is 31. This means a neutral Ga atom has 31 electrons.
Determine the electron configuration of neutral Ga. The ground state electron configuration is $1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^{10} 4s^2 4p^1$.
Recognize that the outermost shell (valence shell) for Ga is the 4th shell, containing the electrons in the 4s and 4p orbitals.
Since Ga^{3+} means the atom has lost 3 electrons, remove these electrons starting from the outermost shell: first remove the single 4p electron and then two electrons from the 4s orbital.
After removing these 3 electrons, the Ga^{3+} ion has no electrons left in the 4th shell, so the number of electrons in the outermost shell is 0.
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