Valence Electrons

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A chemical reaction involves either electron removal, electron addition, or electron sharing. The path a specific element will take depends on where the electrons are in the atom and how many there are.

Valence electrons are the electrons in the highest occupied principal energy level of an atom. In the second period elements, the two electrons in the 1s1s sublevel are called inner-shell electrons and are not involved directly in the element's reactivity or the formation of compounds.

Valence electrons are the outer-shell electrons of an atom.

Valence electrons determine the reactivity of an atom.

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To tell how many electrons there are in a principal energy level we use the formula 2n^2 where n stands for the principal energy level.

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K, Cl, Ni, Ca, Xe, U