Question

How many shells are in an atom? If the last shell can hold only 35 atoms, what about the 118th element? How many shells does it have?​

Answer 1

The element with highest known atomic

number is 118 (Ununoctium - Uuo). Its

electronic configuration is

[math][Rn] 5f^{14}6d^{10}7s^{2}7p^{6}[/

math]

meaning, its outermost shell in its ground

state is 7. Therefore, the highest number

of shells an atom can have in its ground

state is 7 as of now. But Uuo is the final

element in the seventh row (period).

Element #119, if/when it is discovered,

will be a member of the 8th period which

will have 8 shells in its ground state.