Question

Which subshells hold the 25 electrons in a manganese atom?

A) 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s
B) 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p
C) 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 3d
D) 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s

Answer 1

The subshells that hold the 25 electrons in a manganese atom are 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, and 3d, as derived from the Aufbau principle and the maximum number of electrons each subshell can hold.

Step-by-step explanation:

To understand which subshells hold the 25 electrons in a manganese atom, we need to recall the electron configuration principles and the maximum number of electrons each subshell can hold. The subshells fill in order according to the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons populate the lowest energy subshells first. For the n = 3 shell, there are three possible subshells: 3s, 3p, and 3d. Using the formula for the maximum number of electrons in a subshell, 2(2l + 1), we find that an s subshell can hold 2 electrons; a p subshell can hold 6 electrons; and a d subshell can hold 10 electrons.

The electron configuration for manganese is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d5, hence the answer is C) 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 3d.