Question

The element Ne, neon, has ____ (number) complete shells having its ____ electrons in second _____.

What are the answers to the blanks?

Answer 1

2, 8 and shell

Step-by-step explanation:

Neon as atomic number 10. Since for each shell, electrons equal 2n².

When n = 1, 2n² = 2(1)² = 2

When n = 2, 2n² = 2(2)² = 8

So it fills both the first and second shell with 2 and 8 electrons respectively to achieve its stable atomic state. The rest of the 8 electrons go into the second shell because the first shell has achieved its stable dual configuration of two electrons. The next shell requires a maximum of 8 electrons to achieve stability so, the remaining electrons fill it up to achieve the stable octet configuration.