To determine the number of unpaired electrons in the atom [tex]\(^{12}\text{Mg}\)[/tex] (Magnesium):
1. Identify the atomic number: Magnesium (Mg) has an atomic number of 12. This means that a neutral magnesium atom has 12 electrons.
2. Determine the electron configuration: The electron configuration describes how electrons are distributed in an atom's orbitals. For Magnesium, with 12 electrons, the electron configuration is:
- [tex]\(1s^2\)[/tex]
- [tex]\(2s^2\)[/tex]
- [tex]\(2p^6\)[/tex]
- [tex]\(3s^2\)[/tex]
This can be written in full as [tex]\(1s^2 \, 2s^2 \, 2p^6 \, 3s^2\)[/tex].
3. Analyze the electron configuration for unpaired electrons:
- The [tex]\(1s\)[/tex] orbital can hold up to 2 electrons and is fully paired in [tex]\(1s^2\)[/tex].
- The [tex]\(2s\)[/tex] orbital can hold up to 2 electrons and is fully paired in [tex]\(2s^2\)[/tex].
- The [tex]\(2p\)[/tex] orbital can hold up to 6 electrons and is fully paired in [tex]\(2p^6\)[/tex].
- The [tex]\(3s\)[/tex] orbital can hold up to 2 electrons and is fully paired in [tex]\(3s^2\)[/tex].
Since all orbitals in the electron configuration of [tex]\(^{12}\text{Mg}\)[/tex] are fully paired:
4. Conclusion: The number of unpaired electrons in the atom [tex]\(^{12}\text{Mg}\)[/tex] is 0.
