Hassium (Hs)
Hassium is element 108, a transition metal in group 8, period 7. A neutral atom has 108 protons, 161 neutrons and 108 electrons, 2 of them valence electrons.
Transition metal- Atomic number
- 108
- Atomic mass
- [269] u
- Valence electrons
- 2*
- Protons · neutrons
- 108 · 161
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 14, 2
- At room temperature
- —
Bohr model of hassium
The Bohr model draws hassium as a nucleus of 108 protons and 161 neutrons, with its 108 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, 14 in shell 6, 2 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 hassium
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d⁶
Short form (noble gas notation): [Rn] 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d⁶. The [Rn] stands for the electrons of radon, the noble gas before it.
How many valence electrons does hassium have?
Hassium has 2 valence electrons.
Hassium is a transition metal, so its valence electrons are less clear-cut than for main-group elements. It has 2 electrons in its outermost shell (shell 7), and electrons in its inner d subshell can also take part in bonding.
Protons, neutrons and electrons
| Protons | 108 | equal to the atomic number |
|---|---|---|
| Electrons | 108 | equal to the protons in a neutral atom |
| Neutrons | 161 | mass number 269 − 108 protons (for its longest-lived isotope, Hs-269) |
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.
Hassium properties
| Symbol | Hs |
|---|---|
| Category | Transition metal |
| Group · period · block | 8 · 7 · d |
| Atomic mass | [269] u |
| State at 25 °C | solid |
| Melting point | — |
| Boiling point | — |
| Density | — |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | — |
| Atomic radius | — |
| First ionization energy | — |
| Electron affinity | — |
| Oxidation states | 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 |
| Common ion charge | 8, 6 |
| Discovered | 1984 by Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung |
Where hassium sits on the periodic table
Group 8: Iron, Ruthenium, Osmium.
Questions about hassium
How many valence electrons does hassium have?
Hassium has 2 valence electrons in its outer shell; inner d or f electrons can also bond.
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does hassium have?
A neutral hassium atom has 108 protons and 108 electrons. Its most common form has about 161 neutrons (mass number 269 − 108 protons).
What is the electron configuration of hassium?
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d⁶, written in short form as [Rn] 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d⁶.
What does the Bohr model of hassium look like?
A nucleus of 108 protons and 161 neutrons, circled by 7 electron shells holding 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 14, 2 electrons.
What is the atomic number of hassium?
108. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus, and it is what makes an atom hassium.