The table shows the total number of electrons in Atom A and Atom B.

| Atom | Electrons |
|------|------------|
| A | 11 |
| B | 17 |

Which statement is correct?

A. A will give up electrons to form bonds.
B. B will give up electrons to form bonds.
C. Both A and B will be chemically unreactive.
D. Both A and B will gain electrons to become stable.



Answer :

To determine which statement is correct, we need to consider the electron configurations of Atom [tex]$A$[/tex] and Atom [tex]$B$[/tex] based on their total number of electrons.

- Atom [tex]$A$[/tex] has 11 electrons.
- Atom [tex]$B$[/tex] has 17 electrons.

Step 1: Determine the electron configuration for Atom [tex]$A$[/tex] (11 electrons):

The electron configuration follows the Pauli exclusion principle and the Aufbau principle, where electrons fill the lowest energy levels first:
1. The first shell can hold up to 2 electrons.
2. The second shell can hold up to 8 electrons.
3. The third shell can hold up to 18 electrons but is filled last according to the energy levels.

So, the distribution of 11 electrons in Atom [tex]$A$[/tex] would be:
- 2 electrons in the first shell
- 8 electrons in the second shell
- 1 electron in the third shell

This configuration is written as [tex]\(2, 8, 1\)[/tex].

Step 2: Determine the electron configuration for Atom [tex]$B$[/tex] (17 electrons):

Similarly, for Atom [tex]$B$[/tex]:
- 2 electrons in the first shell
- 8 electrons in the second shell
- 7 electrons in the third shell

This configuration is written as [tex]\(2, 8, 7\)[/tex].

Step 3: Determine the stability and reactivity of the atoms:

Atoms tend to be stable when they have a full outermost electron shell, typically 8 electrons in the case of many elements (known as the octet rule). To achieve stability:
- Atom [tex]$A$[/tex] with 1 electron in its outermost shell (third shell) will tend to give up that electron to have a complete second shell.
- Atom [tex]$B$[/tex] with 7 electrons in its outermost shell will tend to gain 1 electron to fill its third shell.

Given these considerations, the statements provided can be evaluated:
1. "A will give up electrons to form bonds." - This is correct because Atom [tex]$A$[/tex] has 1 electron in its outermost shell and will give it up to achieve stability.
2. "B will give up electrons to form bonds." - This is incorrect because Atom [tex]$B$[/tex], having 7 electrons in its outermost shell, will gain an electron rather than giving one up.
3. "Both A and B will be chemically unreactive." - This is incorrect because atoms [tex]$A$[/tex] and [tex]$B$[/tex] are likely to react to achieve stable electron configurations.
4. "Both A and B will gain electrons to become stable." - This is incorrect because Atom [tex]$A$[/tex] will lose an electron, not gain one.

Conclusion: The correct statement is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{A \text{ will give up electrons to form bonds.}} \][/tex]

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