Question

How many valence electrons does phosphorous have available for bonding to other atoms?

Answer 1

Five

Explanation:

The electron configuration for phosphorus is `1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3`. The valence electrons are usually the outermost s and p electrons and in this case, there are 2 3s electrons and 3 3p electrons for a total of 5 valence electrons.