A nitrogen atom contains seven protons, seven neutrons, and seven electrons. Make a labeled drawing of the structure of a nitrogen atom. How can this atom become stable?

The nucleus contains 7 protons (positively charged) and 7 neutrons (no charge). In the first electron orbital, you have 2 electrons (negatively charged). In the second orbital you have 5 electrons. The atom would become stable if the outer electron orbital was filled. Because the second orbital can hold up to eight electrons, you need to have three more electrons to fill it. This would require another nitrogen atom--the two atoms become hybridized and effectively share each other's valence electrons. What you end up with is two nitrogen atoms joined together with a triple bond, where each nitrogen atom shares three valence electrons with the other, and each also has two unshared valence electrons. That is why atmospheric nitrogen exists as N2.