Question

the electron configuration for potassium (k) is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹. how many valence electrons does potassium (k) have? the valence electrons are located in what shell? the valence electrons are located in what subshell?

Explanation:

Step1: Identify valence electrons

Valence electrons are in the outermost shell. For \(K\) with configuration \(1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{6}3s^{2}3p^{6}4s^{1}\), the outermost shell is \(n = 4\). The number of electrons in \(n=4\) is \(1\) (from \(4s^{1}\)).

Step2: Determine shell

The principal quantum number \(n\) for the outermost shell (valence shell) is \(4\).

Step3: Determine sub - shell

The sub - shell in the outermost shell (\(n = 4\)) is \(s\) (from \(4s^{1}\)).

Answer:

• Number of valence electrons: \(1\)
• Shell: \(4\)
• Subshell: \(s\)