QQuestionChemistry
QuestionChemistry
How many valence electrons are found in an element of xenon?
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Answer
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Step 1:
Step 2:: Xenon is a noble gas located in period 5 of the periodic table.
Its atomic number is 54, which means it has 54 protons in its nucleus.
Step 3:
Step 4:: In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons.
Therefore, xenon has 54 electrons.
Step 5:
Step 6:: Valence electrons are the outermost electrons in an atom and are involved in chemical bonding.
For noble gases, all the electrons are valence electrons since they fulfill the octet rule by having a full outer shell.
Step 7:
Step 8:: Since xenon is a noble gas, it has a full outer shell of electrons.
The outermost shell for xenon is the 5s and 5p orbitals, which can hold a maximum of 8 electrons (2 in the 5s orbital and 6 in the 5p orbital).
Step 9:
Step 10:: Therefore, xenon has 8 valence electrons, making it chemically inert and stable.
Final Answer
Xenon has 8 valence electrons.
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