Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · CHEMISTRY · Section
Drawing diagrams of electronic configurations
19 practice questions
Practice questions
1–8 of 8 · Normal
Question 1
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 2
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.
Question 3
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →An element has atomic number 8. Calculate how its electrons fill the shells. Show the number of electrons in each shell. State the rules used for filling shells.
Question 4
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Explain why the electronic configuration of neon is considered stable. Refer to its atomic number and how electrons are arranged in its shells.
Question 5
4 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →The table below shows the electronic configurations of four elements, labelled A, B, C and D.
Element Number of electrons in each shell A 2, 8, 1 B 2, 6 C 2, 8 D 2, 5 (a)[1 mark]Which element has the largest number of shells?
(b)[1 mark]Which element has a full outer shell?
(c)[1 mark]Which element is likely to be chemically unreactive? Give a reason for your answer.
(d)[1 mark]How many electrons are in the outer shell of element D?
Question 6
1 mark · Normal
Answer and check →Which statement correctly describes the rule for filling electron shells up to the third shell?
- A.First shell can hold up to 2 electrons, second and third shells can each hold up to 8 electrons.
- B.Each shell can hold up to 8 electrons.
- C.First and second shells can each hold up to 2 electrons, third shell holds up to 8.
- D.First shell can hold up to 8 electrons, second and third up to 2.
Question 7
2 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →State the electronic configuration (number of electrons in each shell) for the element nitrogen (atomic number 7).
Question 8
4 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Below is the electronic configuration diagram for an atom of carbon.
Diagram: Carbon atom – two shells; 2 electrons in first shell, 4 electrons in second shell (dots shown). (a)[1 mark]How many electrons are there in total in this atom?
(b)[1 mark]How many shells are in this atom?
(c)[1 mark]How many electrons are in the outer shell?
(d)[1 mark]Write the electronic configuration (number of electrons in each shell) for this atom.