Electron Shells and Configuration

Lab Brief #3

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

Color changes mean atoms are rearranging — even if you can't see them.

What you'll learn

Electrons occupy shells of increasing energy, holding up to 2, 8 and 8 for the first three. The outermost electrons — the valence electrons — decide chemical behaviour: a full valence shell means an unreactive noble gas, and one electron short or over means high reactivity.

Key words

electron shell
An energy level around the nucleus that holds a limited number of electrons.
valence electrons
The outermost electrons, which determine an atom's chemical behaviour.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you mix: what color do you think it'll turn?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

periodic table
compasses or circle template
coloured pens

⚠️ Safety first

Take care with the sharp point of a pair of compasses.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "electron shell" and "valence electrons" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Draw shell diagrams for the first twenty elements. Then group them by outer-shell electron count and check your groups against the periodic table's columns.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

The maximum number of electrons in the first shell is:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

An element's chemical behaviour is determined mainly by its:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🌈 Every color you see is your brain inventing a translation of light frequencies.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: How the Periodic Table Is Organised All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: Your toothpaste, your soap, even your breakfast involves this.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Ask a grown-up to help you mix two safe kitchen things. Predict what will happen first.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's something we cook that mixes things together this way?”

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