Question

what is the difference in the number of shells in magnesium and sulphur

Answer 1

Shell number one can only hold 2 electrons, shell two can hold 8, and for the first eighteen elements shell three can hold a maximum of eight electrons. ... So... for the element ofMAGNESIUM, you already know that the atomic number tells you thenumber of electrons. That means there are 12 electrons in a magnesiumatom.

Answer 2

There are no difference in the number of shells in magnesium and sulphur. Both elements contain 3 shells. However, the total number of electrons in the shells are different. Magnesium has 12 electrons in its shells whereas sulphur has 16 electrons in its shell. In addition, the electrons in the valence shell (outermost shell) are also different. Magnesium has 2 electrons in its valence shell whereas sulphur has 6 electrons in its valence shell.