What is the outer shell configuration of bromine?Group of answer choices3s23p64s23d104p64s23d104p54s24p64s24p5

Break Down the Problem

1. Identify the atomic number of bromine (Br) to determine its electronic configuration.
2. Determine the correct outer shell electron configuration for bromine.

Relevant Concepts

• The atomic number of bromine is 35.
• The outer shell configuration consists of the highest energy level electrons (valence electrons).

Analysis and Detail

• The electron configuration for bromine can be constructed by filling the orbitals according to the Aufbau principle, Hund's rule, and the Pauli exclusion principle.

1. The Aufbau principle indicates how electrons fill the orbitals. The filling order is as follows:

   • 1s²
   • 2s²
   • 2p⁶
   • 3s²
   • 3p⁶
   • 4s²
   • 3d¹⁰
   • 4p⁵

2. Since bromine has 35 electrons, we can break down its electronic configuration:

   • Fill up to 3p (which holds 8 electrons total from 1s to 3p).
   • Then fill 4s (2 electrons).
   • Then fill 3d (10 electrons).
   • Finally, 4p where bromine has 5 electrons.

Combining these gives the complete configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁵

The outer shell configuration refers specifically to the highest energy level (n=4):

• In bromine (Br), the outer shell electrons come from the 4s and 4p orbitals: 4s² and 4p⁵.

Verify and Summarize

• Verification of the electron configuration by counting the total number of electrons confirms that there are indeed 35 electrons.
• The outer shell configuration (valence shell) consists of 4s² 4p⁵.

Final Answer

The outer shell configuration of bromine is 4s² 4p⁵.