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12 grade chemistry others

How many electrons does copper have?

Profile image of Aniket Singh
1 Year agoGrade
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1 Answer

Profile image of Askiitians Tutor Team
1 Year ago

To determine how many electrons copper has, we can follow these steps:

1. **Identify the Atomic Number**: The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons in its nucleus, and in a neutral atom, it is also equal to the number of electrons. Copper (Cu) has an atomic number of 29.

2. **Conclusion**: Since copper has an atomic number of 29, a neutral atom of copper has **29 electrons**.

### Additional Information
- **Electron Configuration**: The electron configuration of copper is typically written as \( [Ar] \, 3d^{10} \, 4s^1 \). This indicates that copper has:
- 10 electrons in the 3d subshell
- 1 electron in the 4s subshell
- Plus the electrons in the argon core, which totals 18 (since argon has an atomic number of 18).

So the total comes to:
- 18 (from Argon) + 10 (from 3d) + 1 (from 4s) = 29 electrons.

Thus, copper has **29 electrons** in its neutral state.