Question

What is the number of valence electrons in oxygen?

Answer 1

Oxygen is in Group VI, so there are 6 valence electrons in the oxygen ATOM.

Explanation:

For oxygen, `Z=8`. If there are 8 protons in the oxygen nucleus, the atom must also contain 8 negative charges, i.e. 8 electrons.

Two of these electrons are inner core, and are not conceived to participate in bonding. The remaining 6 are valence electrons, which participate in bonding and influence structure. Generally, 2 of these electrons combine with the electrons of donor atoms (cf hydrogens) to form covalent bonds. The remaining 4 valence electrons reside in stereochemically active lone pairs, which influence structure.

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