What is the maximum number of electrons which can reside in the 2p orbitals?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle this question, we recall the electron configuration and the capacity of p orbitals. The 2p subshell consists of three degenerate orbitals (2p_x, 2p_y, 2p_z), and each orbital can hold two electrons with opposite spins, giving a total capacity of 3 × 2 = 6 electrons for the 2p subshell.
Option a: 'a. 6' correctly states the maximum number of electrons in the 2p orbitals, aligning with the 2p subshell capacity.
Option b: 'b. 3' would imply only one electron per orbital without considering spin pairing, which is incorrect because each of the three orbitals can accommodate two electrons, not just one in total.
Option c: 'c. 2' severely undercounts the capacity; while a single orbital can hold 2 electrons, the 2p set has three orbitals, so the maximum is higher.
Option d: 'd. 10' overestimates the capacity of the 2p subshell; the total available states for 2p are 6, not 10, since there are only six possible electrons (three orbitals × two spins).
Option e: 'e. 9' also misstates the capacity; 9 would exceed the number of available slots in the 2p subshell and would imply more electrons than available orbital slots.
In summary, the 2p subshell can accommodate six electrons in total, corresponding to three orbitals each holding two electrons.

Dashboard Atomic Structure

What is the maximum number of electrons which can reside in the 2p orbitals?

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