1. Electron Configuration:
* Sodium has an atomic number of 11, meaning it has 11 electrons.
* Its electron configuration is: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹
2. Orbital Boxes:
* 1s²: This represents the 1s orbital, which can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. So, there is 1 orbital box for 1s.
* 2s²: This represents the 2s orbital, also with a maximum of 2 electrons. There is 1 orbital box for 2s.
* 2p⁶: This represents the 2p subshells, which have three orbitals (2px, 2py, 2pz). Each orbital can hold 2 electrons, so there are 3 orbital boxes for 2p.
* 3s¹: This represents the 3s orbital, holding 1 electron. There is 1 orbital box for 3s.
3. Total Orbital Boxes:
Adding up all the orbital boxes: 1 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 6 orbital boxes
Therefore, there are 6 orbital boxes in a sodium atom.
