Boron atom. Diagram of an atom of the element boron, pulling back from the central nucleus to reveal the surrounding electron orbitals. Boron is the fifth element, and has five protons (red) in its nucleus, along with five neutrons (blue). Boron has five electrons, and each of its orbitals can hold a maximum of two. Orbitals are filled from the lowest energy (nearest the nucleus) first, so there are two electrons in the inner 1s orbital, and two in the higher energy 2s orbital (green spheres), and one in the slightly higher energy 2p orbital (blue). For clarity, solid lines show the paths of the electrons. In reality, electrons can be found anywhere, and the shape of each orbital is based only on where it is most likely to be found. For the same clip on a transparent background, see clip number K002 3050. |