Ask AI: Description of chlorines atomic structure

Chlorine's atomic structure is composed of three types of subatomic particles distributed across different energy levels or shells. The atomic structure is as follows: 1. Protons: Chlorine has 17 protons in its nucleus. Protons are positively charged particles located at the center (nucleus) of an atom. As the atomic number of chlorine is 17, it means that there are 17 protons in a single atom of chlorine. 2. Neutrons: Chlorine most commonly has 18 neutrons in its nucleus. The number of neutrons can vary in different isotopes of the same element, but Chlorine-35, the most common isotope of chlorine, has 18 neutrons. Neutrons are particles with no charge found within the nucleus of the atom. 3. Electrons: A single atom of chlorine also contains 17 electrons. Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles found in various energy levels/shells around the nucleus. For chlorine, there are two electrons in the first shell, eight in the second shell, and seven in the third shell. As such, chlorine usually gains one electron to achieve a stable configuration, thus having a -1 charge in most cases. Please remember that electrons are distributed in shells according to energy levels - the larger the shell number, the higher its energy level. The electron configuration of chlorine is 2,8,7.