Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · CHEMISTRY · Section
Drawing diagrams of electronic configurations
19 practice questions
Practice questions
1–10 of 19
Question 1
1 mark · Easy
Answer and see the solution →State the maximum number of electrons that can be placed in the first electron shell of an atom.
Question 2
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →An atom of boron has an atomic number of 5.
(a)[1 mark]State how many electrons a boron atom has.
(b)[1 mark]Write its electronic configuration as numbers showing the electrons in each shell.
(c)[1 mark]Draw a diagram to show the electronic configuration of boron, using circles for shells and dots or crosses for electrons.
Question 3
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →The diagram below shows the electronic configuration for an atom, with shells containing 2, 5 electrons.
(a)[1 mark]Calculate the total number of electrons in this atom.
(b)[1 mark]State the atomic number of this atom.
Question 4
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →Explain why the second electron shell fills with up to 8 electrons before the third shell begins to fill.
Question 5
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →The table below lists three elements and their atomic numbers.
Atomic numbers of selected elements. Element Atomic number Lithium 3 Beryllium 4 Oxygen 8 Complete the table by writing the number of electrons in each shell for each element.
Question 6
1 mark · Easy
Answer and see the solution →A diagram shows an atom with 2 electrons in its first shell and 6 electrons in its second shell. What is the total number of electrons in this atom?
Question 7
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →Answer the following questions about electron shells:
(a)[1 mark]State the maximum number of electrons that the second shell can hold.
(b)[1 mark]Describe the order in which electrons fill the first, second and third shells.
(c)[1 mark]Explain why electrons do not start to fill the third shell before the second shell is full.
Question 8
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →An atom has atomic number 6. Calculate the number of electrons in each shell and write its electronic configuration.
Question 9
2 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Draw a diagram to show the electronic configuration of the element fluorine (atomic number 9). Use circles to show the shells and dots or crosses for the electrons.
Question 10
4 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →The diagrams below show the electronic configurations of two different elements, X and Y:
(a)[1 mark]Element X: Diagram showing two shells. 2 electrons in the first shell, 5 electrons in the second shell. How many electrons are there in element X?
(b)[1 mark]Element Y: Diagram showing two shells. 2 electrons in the first shell, 8 electrons in the second shell. How many electrons are there in element Y?
(c)[1 mark]State the number of shells in element X and the number of electrons in its outer shell.
(d)[1 mark]Which of the two elements, X or Y, is likely to be more reactive? Explain your answer.