1. Electronic Configuration:
* Potassium has an atomic number of 19, meaning it has 19 protons and 19 electrons.
* The electronic configuration of potassium is: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹
2. Orbitals and Electron Occupancy:
* 1s orbital: Holds a maximum of 2 electrons (2s²).
* 2s orbital: Holds a maximum of 2 electrons (2s²).
* 2p orbitals: Hold a maximum of 6 electrons (2p⁶), with 2 electrons in each of the three 2p orbitals (px, py, pz).
* 3s orbital: Holds a maximum of 2 electrons (3s²).
* 3p orbitals: Hold a maximum of 6 electrons (3p⁶), with 2 electrons in each of the three 3p orbitals (px, py, pz).
* 4s orbital: Holds a maximum of 2 electrons, but potassium only has 1 electron in this orbital (4s¹).
Summary:
* 1s: 2 electrons
* 2s: 2 electrons
* 2p: 6 electrons
* 3s: 2 electrons
* 3p: 6 electrons
* 4s: 1 electron
