Nitrogen atom. Diagram of an atom of the element nitrogen, showing the central nucleus surrounded by its electron orbitals. Nitrogen is the seventh element, and has seven protons (red) in its nucleus, along with seven neutrons (blue). Nitrogen has seven 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), then one each in each of the slightly higher energy 2p orbitals (blue, red and yellow). 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 3045. |