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Valence electrons are an essential concept in understanding the chemical behavior and properties of elements. They refer to the electrons in the outermost energy level or shell of an atom. These electrons determine an element’s ability to bond with other atoms and participate in chemical reactions. Calculating the number of valence electrons is crucial in predicting an element’s reactivity and understanding its role in forming molecules and compounds. By using the periodic table and a few simple guidelines, we can easily determine the number of valence electrons an element possesses. In this article, we will explore the process of calculating the number of valence electrons and its significance in the world of chemistry.
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In chemistry, valence electrons are electrons located in the outermost shell of an element’s electron shell. Determining the number of valence electrons in an element is an important skill in chemistry because this information helps determine the type of bonds the element can form. Determining the number of valence electrons can be easily done with the periodic table of the chemical elements.
Steps
Find the number of valence electrons using the periodic table
With non-transition metals
- For example, with the unnumbered periodic table, we would put the number 1 above the element Hydrogen (H), number 2 above the element Beryllium (Be) and do the same until the number 18 above Helium (He). ).
- For example, we need to find the number of valence electrons of the element Carbon (C). The atomic number of this element is 6. Carbon is in the upper part of group 14 elements. In the next step we will determine the number of valence electrons of this element.
- In this section, we will ignore the Transition Metals, i.e. the elements between group 3 and group 12. These transition metals are slightly different from the rest of the elements, hence the steps. mentioned in this section are not applicable to such metals. We will consider these groups of elements later in the article.
- Group 1: 1 valence electron
- Group 2: 2 valence electrons
- Group 13: 3 valence electrons
- Group 14: 4 valence electrons
- Group 15: 5 valence electrons
- Group 16: 6 valence electrons
- Group 17: 7 valence electrons
- Group 18: 8 valence electrons (except in the case of helium with 2 valence electrons)
- In the example of carbon, since the carbon is in group 14, we can say that a carbon atom has four valence electrons .
With transition metal
- In this section we take the element Tantan (Ta) with atomic number 73 as an example. The next steps will help determine the number of valence electrons of this element.
- Note that the elements of group 3 lanthanum and actinium (also known as the “rare earth metals”) also belong to the group of transition metals — these two groups of elements are often listed below the periodic table, starting with head with lanthanum and actinium.
- When electrons are introduced into an atom, they are arranged into different “orbitals” — that is, different regions around the nucleus. In short, valence electrons are electrons in the outermost orbital — in other words, the last electrons added to that atom.
- To explain the orbitals in detail, which is perhaps a bit more complicated, when an electron is added to the outermost d subshell of the atomic shell of the transition metal (see below), the first of these electrons will be charged. like normal valence electrons, but then their properties can change, sometimes electrons from other orbitals can act as valence electrons. That is, an atom can have many valence electrons depending on the case.
- You can learn more about this at Clackamas Community College’s valence electron website. [4] X Research Sources
- Group 3: 3 valence electrons
- Group 4: 2 to 4 valence electrons
- Group 5: 2 to 5 valence electrons
- Group 6: 2 to 6 valence electrons
- Group 7: 2 to 7 valence electrons
- Group 8: 2 to 3 valence electrons
- Group 9: 2 to 3 valence electrons
- Group 10: 2 to 3 valence electrons
- Group 11: 1 to 2 valence electrons
- Group 12: 2 valence electrons
- Taking the example of the element Tanta (Ta) of group 5, we can say that this element has between 2 and 5 valence electrons , depending on the case.
Find the number of valence electrons based on electron configuration
- Consider an example of the electron configuration of Sodium (Na):
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- 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 1
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- If you pay attention you will see that the electron configuration is just a string of characters repeating the form:
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- (number)(letter) (exponent) (number)(letter) (exponent) …
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- …and so on. The first (number)(letter) group is the name of the orbital and the (exponent) represents the number of electrons present in that orbital.
- So, in the case we are looking at, we can say that Sodium has 2 electrons in the 1s orbital , 2 electrons in the 2s orbital , 6 electrons in the 2p orbital and 1 electron in the 3s orbital . A total of 11 electrons — sodium’s atomic number is also 11.
- The complete electron configuration of the element ununoctium (Uuo), atomic number 118 is:
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- 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 2 3p 6 4s 2 3d 10 4p 6 5s 2 4d 10 5p 6 6s 2 4f 14 5d 10 6p 6 7s 2 5f 14 6d10 7p 6
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- Once you have such a complete electron configuration, to find the electron configuration of another element, you just need to fill in the orbitals with electrons, starting from the first one, until you run out of electrons to fill. It sounds complicated, but when it comes to doing this is relatively easy. For example, if we wanted to write the complete electron configuration of chlorine (Cl), element number 17, that is, the atom of this element has 17 electrons, we would fill in the following:
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- 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 2 3p 5
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- Notice that the total number of electrons in the electron configuration is just right 17: 2 + 2 + 6 + 2 + 5 = 17. You only need to change the number in the last orbital — the rest stays the same because the penultimate orbital is full. electrons.
- Learn more about writing the electron configuration of an element.
- For example, consider the element Bo (B). The atomic number of this element is 5, so we have the electron configuration of this element’s atom as follows: 1s 2 2s 2 2p 1 . Since the first orbital shell contains only 2 electrons, it can be determined that Bo has two orbital layers: a first subshell consisting of 2 electrons in the 1s orbital and a second with three electrons distributed in the 2s and 2p orbitals. .
- As another example, an element similar to chlorine would have three shells: a shell consisting of two electrons in the 1s orbital, a shell consisting of two electrons in the 2s orbital and six electrons in the 2p orbital, and an outer shell consisting of two electrons in the 3s orbital. and five electrons in the 3p orbital.
- For example with the element Bo, since Bo has three electrons in the second, which is also the outermost shell, we can say that the element Bo has three valence electrons.
- For example, since selenium is in period 4, we can determine that the element has four electron shells in its atomic shell. Since it is, in order from left to right, the sixth element in period 4 (excluding transition metals), we can say that the fourth shell of selenium has six electrons, i.e. the element has six electrons . valence electrons .
Advice
- Note that the electron configuration can be written briefly using noble gases (elements of group 18) instead of the orbitals at the beginning of the configuration. For example, the electron configuration of Sodium can be written as [Ne]3s1 — that is, the electron configuration of Sodium is the same as that of Neon but with an extra electron in the 3s orbital.
- Transition metals can have incomplete valence subclasses. To accurately determine the valence electron number of a transition metal, it is necessary to apply complex quantum principles that are not within the scope of this article.
- You should also note that the periodic table of the chemical elements may be different in different countries. So, make sure you’re using the common periodic table where you live to avoid confusion.
Things you need
- Periodic table of chemical elements
- Pencil
- Paper
wikiHow is a “wiki” site, which means that many of the articles here are written by multiple authors. To create this article, 41 people, some of whom are anonymous, have edited and improved the article over time.
This article has been viewed 109,814 times.
In chemistry, valence electrons are electrons located in the outermost shell of an element’s electron shell. Determining the number of valence electrons in an element is an important skill in chemistry because this information helps determine the type of bonds the element can form. Determining the number of valence electrons can be easily done with the periodic table of the chemical elements.
In conclusion, understanding how to calculate the number of valence electrons is crucial in chemistry as it provides valuable information about an element’s reactivity and its ability to form chemical bonds. By utilizing the periodic table, the valence electron count can be determined for elements in different groups. Additionally, the octet rule is an important concept in calculating valence electrons for atoms in the main group, as it suggests that atoms tend to achieve a stable electron configuration with eight valence electrons. This knowledge is essential for predicting chemical reactions, understanding bonding patterns, and analyzing the properties of elements and compounds. With practice and a clear understanding of the periodic table and electron configuration, anyone can become proficient at calculating the number of valence electrons for any given element.
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