Write the distribution of electrons in carbon and sodium atoms.

(i) The atomic number of carbon is 6. It means carbon has 6 protons and 6 electrons. Out of these 6 electrons, 2 electrons will occupy the first electron shell which is K shell and the remaining 4 electrons will occupy the second electron shell which is L shell. So, the electron distribution in a carbon atom will be:

K L

2, 4

(ii) The atomic number of sodium is 11. It means sodium atom has 11 protons and 11 electrons in it. Out of these 11 electrons, the first 2 electrons will go to K shell, the next 8 electrons will go to L shell and the remaining 1 electron will go to M shell. So, the electron distribution in a sodium atom will be:

K L M

2, 8, 1