Question

which statements accurately describe the model of the carbon atom above? select all that apply. carbons outer electron shell contains four electrons. if this model showed a nucleus with seven protons, it would still represent carbon. carbons electrons are found in three distinct electron shells. the carbon nucleus contains 6 protons and 6 neutrons. a quick side note: representations like the one above are called \models\ because they are meant to capture essential parts of a structure or process. models are particularly helpful for things like atoms that are not observable to the naked eye. ions one additional factoid about the basics of atomic structure: every proton and electron has an electrical charge. each proton carries one positive charge and each electron carries one negative charge. neutrons are neutral, meaning that they do not carry a charge. when an atom has an equal number of protons and electrons, the positive and negative charges balance and the atom is electrically neutral overall. if there are more protons than electrons, the atom will have a positive charge. conversely, if there more electrons than protons, the atom will have a negative charge. an atom that has an overall charge like this is called an ion.

Explanation:

• Carbon has an atomic number of 6, which means it has 6 protons. Its electron - configuration is 1s²2s²2p², so it has 4 electrons in its outer shell (valence shell). The nucleus of a common carbon - 12 atom has 6 protons and 6 neutrons. Electrons of carbon are in two distinct electron shells (the first and the second), not three. An atom is defined by the number of protons, so if there are 7 protons, it is nitrogen, not carbon.

Answer:

• Carbon's outer electron shell contains four electrons. - True
• If this model showed a nucleus with seven protons, it would still represent carbon. - False
• Carbon's electrons are found in three distinct electron shells. - False
• The carbon nucleus contains 6 protons and 6 neutrons. - True