Question

The electrons present in the ______ shell of an atom are called valence electrons.

Answer 1

Electrons are distributed in the various energy shells or orbits around the nucleus in an atom.

Valence electrons: Electrons which are present in the outermost shell or the farthest shell from the nucleus are known as valence electrons.

• Example: Number of electrons in Sodium (Na) = 11
• Electronic configuration= 2, 8, 1
• The 11 electrons are distributed in 3 shells and out of these three shells, outermost shell contains one electron. So one electron is present in the outermost or valence shell in case of Sodium.

Therefore, the electrons present in the outermost shell of an atom are called valence electrons.