Nihonium (Nh)
Element 113 · post-transition metal · group 13, period 7
Nihonium is element 113, a post-transition metal in group 13 and period 7. Its electron configuration is [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p1. That leaves 3 valence electrons in the outer shell, with the shells filling 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 3. Its outer shell is already full, so it does not normally form ions at all.
- 113 protons
- 3 valence e−
- p-block
Nihonium Lewis dot structure
Nihonium has 3 valence electrons, so its Lewis symbol carries 3 dots: three single dots. The dots go one to a side before any of them pair up, so the unpaired ones show exactly how many bonds the atom tends to form.
Draw it in the Lewis structure generator →
Properties
| Atomic number | 113 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Nh |
| Standard atomic weight | 286 u |
| Group | 13 |
| Period | 7 |
| Block | p-block |
| Category | post-transition metal |
| Electron configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f14 6s2 6p6 6d10 7s2 7p1 |
| Noble-gas notation | [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p1 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 3 |
| Valence electrons | 3 |
| Common ionic charge | none |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | no accepted value |
| Protons / electrons | 113 / 113 |
Electron configuration of nihonium
Orbitals fill from the lowest energy upward. Writing that out for nihonium gives 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f14 6s2 6p6 6d10 7s2 7p1, which is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f14 6s2 6p6 6d10 7s2 7p1 in plain text.
Everything up to Rn is the same as in that noble gas, so it is usually abbreviated to [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p1. The part outside the bracket is what does the chemistry.
| Subshell | Electrons | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| 1s | 2 | 2 |
| 2s | 2 | 2 |
| 2p | 6 | 6 |
| 3s | 2 | 2 |
| 3p | 6 | 6 |
| 3d | 10 | 10 |
| 4s | 2 | 2 |
| 4p | 6 | 6 |
| 4d | 10 | 10 |
| 4f | 14 | 14 |
| 5s | 2 | 2 |
| 5p | 6 | 6 |
| 5d | 10 | 10 |
| 5f | 14 | 14 |
| 6s | 2 | 2 |
| 6p | 6 | 6 |
| 6d | 10 | 10 |
| 7s | 2 | 2 |
| 7p | 1 | 6 |
Nihonium ion charge
Nihonium has no known ions. It is made a few atoms at a time and decays within seconds, so its chemistry has barely been measured. Its position in group 13 suggests how it might behave, but a charge extrapolated from the group would be a guess, not a measurement.
Common questions
What is the Lewis dot structure of nihonium?
The symbol Nh with 3 dots, one for each valence electron: three single dots. Dots go one to a side before any pair up, the same way electrons fill separate orbitals before sharing one.
How many valence electrons does nihonium have?
Nihonium has 3 valence electrons. For a main-group element the count is the group number minus 10, and nihonium is in group 13.
What is the electron configuration of nihonium?
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f14 6s2 6p6 6d10 7s2 7p1, or [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p1 written from the previous noble gas. Orbitals fill lowest energy first.
How many protons, electrons and neutrons does nihonium have?
A neutral nihonium atom has 113 protons and 113 electrons. Its standard atomic weight is 286, so the most common isotope has about 173 neutrons.
Nearby elements
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