Question

how many electrons can occupy... a filled 3p sublevel a filled 2nd energy level any orbital a filled 4d sublevel 1 2 5 6 8 10 14 18 24 32

Explanation:

Step1: Recall p - sublevel electron capacity

A p - sublevel has 3 orbitals, and each orbital can hold 2 electrons. So for a 3p sublevel, the number of electrons is $3\times2 = 6$.

Step2: Recall second - energy level electron capacity

The second energy level ($n = 2$) has two sublevels: 2s and 2p. The 2s sublevel has 1 orbital (holds 2 electrons) and the 2p sublevel has 3 orbitals (holds $3\times2=6$ electrons). So in total, the second energy level can hold $2 + 6=8$ electrons when filled.

Step3: Recall orbital electron capacity

Any single orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons according to the Pauli - exclusion principle.

Step4: Recall d - sublevel electron capacity

A d - sublevel has 5 orbitals, and each orbital can hold 2 electrons. So for a 4d sublevel, the number of electrons is $5\times2 = 10$.

Answer:

a filled 3p sublevel: 6
a filled 2nd energy level: 8
any orbital: 2
a filled 4d sublevel: 10