- (A) The ground state is the lowest-energy, or most stable state, of an
atom. The lithium atom has 3 electrons. In its stable state, the 1s sublevel, or
lowest-energy orbital, contains a pair of electrons. The Pauli Exclusion
Principle allows a maximum of 2 electrons with opposite spins, so the third
electron resides in the 2s orbital.
marvins-underground-k-12
(Marvins-Underground-K-12)
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