A central purple circle, labeled Na, is encircled by three concentric rings. The innermost ring contains two small green spheres, the middle ring has eight small green spheres, and the outermost ring has one small green sphere. Does this atom satisfy the octet rule? Why or why not? The octet rule states that atoms tend to combine in such a way that they each have eight electrons in their valence shell, giving them the same electronic configuration as a noble gas. In the described configuration, the atom does not satisfy the octet rule because the outermost ring, representing the valence shell, has only one small green sphere, which indicates a single electron. For the octet rule to be satisfied, the valence shell must contain eight electrons.

No, the atom described does not satisfy the octet rule. According to the octet rule, atoms are most stable when they have eight electrons in their valence (outermost) electron shell. In the configuration provided, the atom has a central purple circle labeled 'Na', which represents the nucleus of a sodium atom. The three concentric rings represent the electron shells, with two electrons in the first shell, eight in the second, and only one in the third (valence) shell. Since the valence shell of the sodium atom has only one electron and not the eight that are required for stability as per the octet rule, the atom is not fulfilling the octet rule.

Extra: The octet rule is a chemical rule of thumb that reflects observation that atoms of main-group elements tend to combine in such a way that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, giving it the same electronic configuration as a noble gas. The rule is applicable to the main-group elements, especially carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and the halogens, but also to metals such as sodium or magnesium.

The electron configuration of a sodium atom (Na) is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹, where the number before the s or p indicates the electron shell (1 being closest to the nucleus, 3 being the valence or outermost shell), and the superscript number indicates how many electrons are in that subshell. Since the valence shell of sodium has only one electron, it usually loses this electron to fulfill the octet rule, becoming a positively charged ion (Na⁺) with a complete octet in its second shell. This is also why sodium is highly reactive and tends to form ionic bonds where it donates its single valence electron to another atom that is seeking to complete its octet.