1. Electron Configuration:
* Aluminum's atomic number is 13, meaning it has 13 electrons.
* The electron configuration of aluminum is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹.
2. Outermost Shell:
* The highest energy level (principal quantum number) in the electron configuration is 3. This is aluminum's outermost shell.
* The outermost shell contains the 3s and 3p sublevels.
3. Number of Electrons:
* The 3s sublevel has 2 electrons (3s²).
* The 3p sublevel has 1 electron (3p¹).
Therefore, there are a total of 3 electrons (2 + 1) in the outermost shell of aluminum.
