The number of electrons present in 'M' shell of silicon is

Options

A. (a) 2
B. (b) 4
C. (c) 6
D. (d) 8

Answer

To determine the number of electrons present in the 'M' shell of silicon, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Atomic Number of Silicon**:
- Silicon has an atomic number of 14. This means it has 14 electrons.

2. **Write the Electronic Configuration**:
- The electronic configuration of silicon can be written as:
\[ 1s^2 \, 2s^2 \, 2p^6 \, 3s^2 \, 3p^2 \]

3. **Identify the Shells**:
- The shells are designated as follows:
- K shell (n=1): 2 electrons
- L shell (n=2): 8 electrons
- M shell (n=3): Can hold up to 18 electrons, but we need to find out how many are actually present in silicon.

4. **Count the Electrons in the M Shell**:
- From the electronic configuration:
- The M shell corresponds to n=3.
- In the M shell, we have:
- 3s^2 contributes 2 electrons
- 3p^2 contributes 2 electrons
- Therefore, the total number of electrons in the M shell is:
\[ 2 + 2 = 4 \]

5. **Conclusion**:
- The number of electrons present in the M shell of silicon is 4.

### Final Answer:
The number of electrons present in the M shell of silicon is **4**.

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