Up until now I have been given the "fairytale" version of chemistry. My teacher told me that atoms "want" to have a complete outer shell. I'm sure that doing so brings the total energy lower but I don't understand how. Any and all input would be appreciated.
2006-10-31 11:03:53 · 2 answers · asked by Chris G 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
You're confusing atoms. The sodium "wants" a complete outer shell, which it gets by getting rid of the lonely 3s electron. The chlorine "wants" a complete outer shell by getting the sodium's electron. Each atom is happy and, "Presto!"...table salt.
2006-10-31 16:50:24 · answer #1 · answered by rb42redsuns 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes 3p energy level is higher, electrons get what is called an excited state and go to higher energy levels to b complete, this also has to do with the octet rule, 8 electrons needed to fill outer energy level, except for He and H which only require 2 electrons to b filled
2006-10-31 19:31:23 · answer #2 · answered by dreamz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋