Describe The Electron Configuration Of The Element Sodium

describe The Electron Configuration Of The Element Sodium Which Has

Describe the electron configuration of the element sodium, which has an atomic number of 11, and how this determines how sodium bonds. Your response should be at least 75 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.

List the three important constituent parts of the atom; give location of these parts in the atom, and the electrical charge of each part. In addition, pick any element and give the numbers of each of these parts for that element. Your response should be at least 75 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.

Paper For Above instruction

The electron configuration of sodium (Na), which has an atomic number of 11, describes the distribution of its electrons across different energy levels and sublevels. According to standard atomic theory, sodium’s electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹. This configuration indicates that sodium has two electrons in the first energy level, eight electrons in the second, and one electron in the third energy level (Brown, LeMay, Bursten, Murphy, & Woodward, 2014). The single electron in the outermost shell (3s¹) is responsible for sodium's chemical reactivity and bonding behavior. Sodium tends to lose this one valence electron to achieve a noble gas electron configuration, forming a Na⁺ ion, which has an electron configuration similar to neon (Ne). This propensity to donate electrons explains sodium’s tendency to form ionic bonds, especially with non-metals like chlorine, resulting in the formation of sodium chloride (NaCl). The loss of this electron creates a positively charged ion, which then interacts electrostatically with negatively charged ions, stabilizing the compound (Zumdahl & Zumdahl, 2013).

The three important constituent parts of the atom are protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons are located in the nucleus of the atom and carry a positive electrical charge (+1). Neutrons are also located in the nucleus and are electrically neutral (0). Electrons orbit the nucleus in various energy levels or shells and carry a negative electrical charge (-1). For example, in a carbon atom (atomic number 6), there are 6 protons, 6 neutrons (assuming the most common isotope), and 6 electrons. The number of protons defines the element, and the electrons determine its chemical behavior, especially bonding and reactivity (Brown et al., 2014).

References

• Brown, T. L., LeMay, H. E., Bursten, B. E., Murphy, C., & Woodward, P. (2014). Chemistry: The Central Science (13th ed.). Pearson.
• Zumdahl, S. S., & Zumdahl, S. A. (2013). Chemistry (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.