* Electron Configuration: Potassium has an electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹.

* Valence Electron: The outermost electron, found in the 4s orbital, is the valence electron.

* Unpaired Electron: Since the 4s orbital can hold two electrons, and there is only one electron present, it is considered unpaired.

Therefore, a potassium atom has one unpaired electron.