How many valence electrons does each member of the boron family have?

1 Answer
Jun 25, 2017

The members of the boron family have 3 valence electrons.

Explanation:

The valence electrons in the members of the boron family are in the highest energy s and p orbitals, in particular, #"s"^2"p"^1"#. The group number of the boron family indicates the number of valence electrons. The group number is 13/IIIA. If you use the group number as 13, subtract 10 to get the number of valence electrons. If you use the group number IIIA, the Roman numeral for three indicates the number of valence electrons.