Certainly! Let's consider two examples, one with a filled electron shell and another with an empty electron shell.
Filled Electron Shell: Neon (Ne) Neon is an element with an atomic number of 10, meaning it has 10 electrons. The electron configuration of neon is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶. In this configuration, the first energy level (1s) is fully filled with two electrons, and the second energy level (2s and 2p) is also completely filled with eight electrons. As a result, neon has a filled electron shell and is considered to be chemically stable. It does not readily form chemical bonds with other elements.
Empty Electron Shell: Sodium (Na) Sodium is an element with an atomic number of 11, which means it has 11 electrons. The electron configuration of sodium is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹. In this configuration, the first and second energy levels are completely filled with a total of ten electrons, while the third energy level has only one electron in the 3s orbital. Since the third energy level is not completely filled, sodium has an empty electron shell in the third energy level. This makes sodium chemically reactive, as it tends to lose its outermost electron to achieve a stable electron configuration.
These examples illustrate the concept of filled and empty electron shells, which have a significant impact on the chemical behavior of atoms.