Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How many electrons can fill an s subshell?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
periodic table
Modern version of the periodic table of the elements. To learn an element's name, atomic number, electron configuration, atomic weight, and more, select one from the table.
An s subshell can hold a maximum of 2 electrons.1
This limit is determined by the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that an orbital can accommodate no more than two electrons, provided they have opposite spins. Because an s subshell (defined by an orbital angular momentum quantum number of ) consists of only a single orbital, it is restricted to this two-electron capacity.12