Flerovium (Fl)
Flerovium is element 114, a post-transition metal in group 14, period 7. A neutral atom has 114 protons, 176 neutrons and 114 electrons, 4 of them valence electrons. Many of its properties are predicted, because only a few atoms have ever been made.
Post-transition metal- Atomic number
- 114
- Atomic mass
- [290] u
- Valence electrons
- 4
- Protons · neutrons
- 114 · 176
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 4
- At room temperature
- solid (expected)
Bohr model of flerovium
The Bohr model draws flerovium as a nucleus of 114 protons and 176 neutrons, with its 114 electrons on 7 circular shells: 2 in shell 1, 8 in shell 2, 18 in shell 3, 32 in shell 4, 32 in shell 5, 18 in shell 6, 4 in shell 7. Press Build the atom to watch the shells fill from the inside out. The outer ring (the Q shell) is dashed: the electrons there are the ones that take part in chemistry.
Real electrons don't travel in neat circles. They live in fuzzy orbitals, shown below, but the Bohr picture is the quickest way to count shells and valence electrons.
Electron configuration of flerovium
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p²
Short form (noble gas notation): [Rn] 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p². The [Rn] stands for the electrons of radon, the noble gas before it.
This configuration is predicted from calculations; it has not been measured.
How many valence electrons does flerovium have?
Flerovium has 4 valence electrons.
Flerovium is in group 14, and for groups 13–18 you subtract 10 from the group number: 14 − 10 = 4. It tends to share electrons in covalent bonds.
Protons, neutrons and electrons
| Protons | 114 | equal to the atomic number |
|---|---|---|
| Electrons | 114 | equal to the protons in a neutral atom |
| Neutrons | 176 | mass number 290 − 114 protons (for its longest-lived isotope, Fl-290) |
Atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons (isotopes). The count above uses the rounded atomic mass, the way it's taught in class.
Flerovium properties
| Symbol | Fl |
|---|---|
| Category | Post-transition metal |
| Group · period · block | 14 · 7 · p |
| Atomic mass | [290] u |
| State at 25 °C | solid (expected) |
| Melting point | — |
| Boiling point | — |
| Density | — |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | — |
| Atomic radius | — |
| First ionization energy | — |
| Electron affinity | — |
| Oxidation states | 6, 4, 2, 1, 0 |
| Common ion charge | 6, 4 |
| Discovered | 1998 by Joint Institute for Nuclear Research |
Where flerovium sits on the periodic table
Group 14: Carbon, Silicon, Germanium, Tin, Lead.
Questions about flerovium
How many valence electrons does flerovium have?
Flerovium has 4 valence electrons.
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does flerovium have?
A neutral flerovium atom has 114 protons and 114 electrons. Its most common form has about 176 neutrons (mass number 290 − 114 protons).
What is the electron configuration of flerovium?
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p², written in short form as [Rn] 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p². This configuration is predicted, not measured.
What does the Bohr model of flerovium look like?
A nucleus of 114 protons and 176 neutrons, circled by 7 electron shells holding 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 4 electrons.
What is the atomic number of flerovium?
114. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus, and it is what makes an atom flerovium.