Question

The atomic number of nitrogen is 7. The number of electrons a neutral nitrogen atom has is ___, and its atomic mass is approximately ___ amu.

A) 7 14
B) 14 7
C) 8 16

Answer 1

A neutral nitrogen atom has 7 electrons and an atomic mass of approximately 14 amu. It has two electron shells, with an electron configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The atomic number of nitrogen is 7, meaning a neutral nitrogen atom has 7 protons, and since it's neutral, it also has 7 electrons. The atomic mass of nitrogen is approximately 14 amu (atomic mass units). Electrons are arranged in shells around the nucleus of an atom. The first shell can hold up to 2 electrons, and the second shell can hold up to 8 electrons. Since nitrogen has 7 electrons, 2 will fill the first shell, and the remaining 5 will go into the second shell. Therefore, nitrogen has two electron shells.

The electron configuration for a neutral nitrogen atom is 1s2 2s2 2p3. This electron configuration reflects the distribution of nitrogen's 7 electrons across the different energy levels and orbitals.