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A nitrogen nucleus has 7 protons. Therefore it can attract 7 electrons.
The first 2 electrons fill the first shell. The next 5 electrons go into the second shell. This shell can hold a maximum of 8 electrons. So it is 3 electrons short of a full shell. Nitrogen can therefore share 3 electrons with other atoms, so it can form 3 covalent bonds. In this diagram we see a nitrogen atom sharing electrons with three hydrogen atoms to form an ammonia molecule. |
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