Question

How many valence electrons are present in a Sulfur atom?

Answer 1

Valence electrons:

• The electrons which are distributed in the outermost shell of the atom are called valence electrons.

Valence electrons in a Sulfur atom:

• The element Sulfur$\left(\mathrm{S}\right)$ is in the third period and belongs to the Oxygen family (group 16).
• The atomic number of Sulfur$\left(\mathrm{S}\right)$ is 16.
• The electronic configuration of Sulfur$\left(\mathrm{S}\right)$ can be written as $1{\mathrm{s}}^{2}2{\mathrm{s}}^{2}2{\mathrm{p}}^{6}3{\mathrm{s}}^{2}3{\mathrm{p}}^4$
• The valence electrons are the sum of the electrons in the outermost shell, that is two $3\mathrm{s}$ electrons and four $3\mathrm{p}$ electrons which gives a total of six valence electrons.

Therefore, the valence electron in a Sulfur$\left(\mathrm{S}\right)$ atom is 6.