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What is the distribution of electrons in potassium and calcium?
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What is the distribution of electrons in potassium and calcium?
Electron Distribution in Potassium and Calcium


Potassium (K) and Calcium (Ca) are both metallic elements that belong to the group of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals respectively. The electron distribution in these elements can be explained as follows:


Electron Configuration of Potassium


  • Potassium has an atomic number of 19, indicating that it has 19 protons and 19 electrons.

  • The electron configuration of potassium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1.

  • The outermost shell of potassium has only one electron, which is located in the 4s orbital.

  • This electron is relatively easy to remove from the atom, making potassium a highly reactive metal.



Electron Configuration of Calcium


  • Calcium has an atomic number of 20, indicating that it has 20 protons and 20 electrons.

  • The electron configuration of calcium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2.

  • The outermost shell of calcium has two electrons, which are located in the 4s orbital.

  • These electrons are not as easy to remove from the atom as the single electron in potassium, making calcium less reactive than potassium.



Conclusion

The distribution of electrons in potassium and calcium can be explained by their electron configurations. Potassium has a single electron in its outermost shell, making it highly reactive, while calcium has two electrons in its outermost shell, which makes it less reactive than potassium.
Community Answer
What is the distribution of electrons in potassium and calcium?
Potassium is 1st group element or alkali earth metals so the entire group has valency +1.Calcium is 2nd group element or alkaline metals so the entire group has valency +2.
Valency of K (pottasium) is +1.
You can see that the electronic configuration of K is 2,8,8,1. So,to make an octate,K loses one electron. So,its valency is +1.
Now, electronic config. of Ca(calcium) is 2,8,8,2. Thus it loses 2 electrons and gain. It make an octate of electrons to stabalise itself.
Thus its valency is +2.
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