Tennessine (Ts)
Tennessine is element 117, a halogen in group 17, period 7. A neutral atom has 117 protons, 177 neutrons and 117 electrons, 7 of them valence electrons. Many of its properties are predicted, because only a few atoms have ever been made.
Halogen- Atomic number
- 117
- Atomic mass
- [294] u
- Valence electrons
- 7
- Protons · neutrons
- 117 · 177
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 7
- At room temperature
- solid (expected)
Bohr model of tennessine
The Bohr model draws tennessine as a nucleus of 117 protons and 177 neutrons, with its 117 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, 7 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 tennessine
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p⁵
Short form (noble gas notation): [Rn] 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p⁵. 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 tennessine have?
Tennessine has 7 valence electrons.
Tennessine is in group 17, and for groups 13–18 you subtract 10 from the group number: 17 − 10 = 7. It tends to gain 1 electron to complete an octet, forming a −1 ion.
Protons, neutrons and electrons
| Protons | 117 | equal to the atomic number |
|---|---|---|
| Electrons | 117 | equal to the protons in a neutral atom |
| Neutrons | 177 | mass number 294 − 117 protons (for its longest-lived isotope, Ts-294) |
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.
Tennessine properties
| Symbol | Ts |
|---|---|
| Category | Halogen |
| Group · period · block | 17 · 7 · p |
| Atomic mass | [294] u |
| State at 25 °C | solid (expected) |
| Melting point | — |
| Boiling point | — |
| Density | — |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | — |
| Atomic radius | — |
| First ionization energy | — |
| Electron affinity | — |
| Oxidation states | +5, +3, +1, −1 |
| Common ion charge | −1 |
| Discovered | 2010 by Joint Institute for Nuclear Research |
Where tennessine sits on the periodic table
Group 17: Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Astatine.
Questions about tennessine
How many valence electrons does tennessine have?
Tennessine has 7 valence electrons.
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does tennessine have?
A neutral tennessine atom has 117 protons and 117 electrons. Its most common form has about 177 neutrons (mass number 294 − 117 protons).
What is the electron configuration of tennessine?
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p⁵, written in short form as [Rn] 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7p⁵. This configuration is predicted, not measured.
What does the Bohr model of tennessine look like?
A nucleus of 117 protons and 177 neutrons, circled by 7 electron shells holding 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 7 electrons.
What is the atomic number of tennessine?
117. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus, and it is what makes an atom tennessine.