Question

How many unpaired electrons are in a radon atom?

Answer 1

In chemistry, an unpaired electron is an electron that occupies a single orbital of an atom rather than as part of an electron pair. Each atomic orbital of an atom (specified by the three quantum numbers n, l, and m) can hold two electrons (electron pair) with opposite spins.

Complete answer:
Radon is an atomic number $86$ chemical element with the symbol $Rn$ . It is a noble gas that is radioactive, colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It occurs naturally in trace amounts as an intermediate step in the normal radioactive decay chains that slowly decay thorium and uranium into lead and other short-lived radioactive elements. Radon is the radium's immediate decay product.
A radon atom, like any other noble gas atom, has no unpaired electrons. Radon has an atomic number of $76$ , which means that a neutral atom would also have $76$ electrons.
The noble gas electron configuration in shorthand is $~[Xe]4{{f}^{14}}5{{d}^{10}}6{{s}^{2}}6{{p}^{6}}$ All of the energy sublevels are completely filled $~6{{s}^{2}}6{{p}^{6}}.$
The element's most stable isotope, ${}^{222}Rn$ , has a half-life of only $3.8$ days, making it one of the rarest. Because thorium and uranium are two of the most common radioactive elements on Earth, and because radon has three isotopes with half-lives of several billion years, it will be present on earth for a long time despite its short half-life. Many other substances are formed as a result of radon decay.

Note:
Breathing radon over time raises your risk of developing lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The EPA estimates that approximately 21,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer in the United States. Only smoking is responsible for more lung cancer deaths.