Valence Electrons

Only the outer shell takes part

An interactive lesson with 7 steps, about 6 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Valence (outer) electrons do the bonding; group number tells how many.
• Atoms bond to reach a full shell: 8 electrons, or 2 for hydrogen.
• Each single dot in a Lewis symbol usually becomes one bond.

Steps

1. The outermost electrons
2. Count the dots
3. Family resemblance
4. Full shells are content
5. One dot, one bond
6. How many bonds?
7. Natural gas