Oxygen has 6 valence electrons. These valence electrons are located in the second shell, specifically two electrons in the 2s subshell and four electrons in the 2p subshell. Oxygen is in Group 16 (also called Group 6A) of the periodic table, which corresponds to having six electrons in its outermost shell
. In summary:
- Atomic number of oxygen: 8 (total electrons = 8)
- Electron configuration: 1s22s22p41s^22s^22p^41s22s22p4
- Valence electrons: 6 (2 in 2s + 4 in 2p)
This configuration explains oxygen's chemical behavior, including its tendency to gain or share two electrons to complete its octet
