Question

How many p-orbitals are occupied in a K atom ?

Answer 1

Hint To find the number of occupied p-orbitals in the potassium atom , you should first know the electronic configuration of the potassium atom and then, by using that you can easily find the number of p-orbitals occupied in a potassium atom. Now answer the statement.

Complete step by step answer:
Potassium is a metal and which comes under the category of alkaline metals and belongs to the p-block elements of the periodic table.
It lies in the 1st group and 4th period of the periodic table.
It has an atomic number as 19 and a mass number as 39. It has the electronic configuration as: $1{{s}^{2}}2{{s}^{2}}2{{p}^{6}}3{{s}^{2}}3{{p}^{6}}4{{s}^{1}}$.
Now considering the statement as;
Each p- subshell consists of the three p-orbitals i.e. ${{p}_{x}},{{p}_{y}}\text{ and }{{\text{p}}_{z}}$.
From the electronic configuration of the potassium atom, we come to know that the number of p-orbitals occupied in a potassium atom is 6. It is so because in the potassium atom , three p-orbitals of 2p subshell are completely filled and three p-orbitals of 3p subshell are also completely filled and thus, the total number of p-orbitals present in the potassium atom is 6 ( 3 from 2p subshell and 3 from 3p subshell).

Hence, the total six p-orbitals are occupied in a K atom.

Note: Potassium being an alkali metal has one electron in its outermost shell and has a strong tendency to lose the electron from its outermost valence shell to acquire stable electronic configuration of the nearest noble gas.