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The electrons that determine valence – how an atom reacts chemically – are those with the highest energy. For a main-group element, the valence electrons are defined as those electrons residing in the electronic shell of highest principal quantum number n. [1] Thus, the number of valence electrons that it may have depends on the electron configuration in a simple way. For example, the ...
For an explanation of why electrons exist in these shells, see electron configuration. [ 2 ] Each shell consists of one or more subshells, and each subshell consists of one or more atomic orbitals.
The octet rule is a chemical rule of thumb that reflects the theory that main-group elements tend to bond in such a way that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, giving it the same electronic configuration as a noble gas. The rule is especially applicable to carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and the halogens; although more generally the ...
The electrons in the outermost shell, or valence electrons, tend to be responsible for an element's chemical behavior. Elements that contain the same number of valence electrons can be grouped together and display similar chemical properties.
Valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory (/ ˈvɛspər, vəˈsɛpər / VESP-ər, [ 1 ]: 410və-SEP-ər[ 2 ]) is a model used in chemistry to predict the geometry of individual molecules from the number of electron pairs surrounding their central atoms. [ 3 ] It is also named the Gillespie-Nyholm theory after its two main developers, Ronald Gillespie and Ronald Nyholm.
The total number of electrons represented in a Lewis structure is equal to the sum of the numbers of valence electrons on each individual atom. Non-valence electrons are not represented in Lewis structures. Once the total number of valence electrons has been determined, they are placed into the structure according to these steps: Initially, one line (representing a single bond) is drawn ...
The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms, when they share electrons, is known as covalent bonding. [1] For many molecules, the sharing of electrons allows each atom to attain the equivalent of a full valence shell, corresponding to a stable electronic configuration.
In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an atom is a measure of its combining capacity with other atoms when it forms chemical compounds or molecules. Valence is generally understood to be the number of chemical bonds that each atom of a given chemical element typically forms.