How many electrons can a d subshell hold at most?

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Multiple Choice

How many electrons can a d subshell hold at most?

Explanation:
Two key ideas: each orbital can hold two electrons with opposite spins, and the number of orbitals in a subshell is 2l+1. For a d subshell, l = 2, so there are 5 orbitals. With up to two electrons per orbital, the maximum is 5 × 2 = 10 electrons. For context, s subshells have 1 orbital (2 electrons), p subshells have 3 orbitals (6 electrons), and f subshells have 7 orbitals (14 electrons).

Two key ideas: each orbital can hold two electrons with opposite spins, and the number of orbitals in a subshell is 2l+1. For a d subshell, l = 2, so there are 5 orbitals. With up to two electrons per orbital, the maximum is 5 × 2 = 10 electrons. For context, s subshells have 1 orbital (2 electrons), p subshells have 3 orbitals (6 electrons), and f subshells have 7 orbitals (14 electrons).

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