Question

How many valence electrons does a Carbon atom have?

Answer 1

Valence electrons:

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

Valence electrons in a Carbon atom:

• The element Carbon$\left(\mathrm{C}\right)$ is in the second period and belongs to the Carbon family (group 14).
• The atomic number of Carbon$\left(\mathrm{C}\right)$ is 6.
• The electronic configuration of Carbon$\left(\mathrm{C}\right)$ can be written as $1{\mathrm{s}}^{2}2{\mathrm{s}}^{2}2{\mathrm{p}}^2$
• The valence electrons are the sum of the electrons in the outermost shell, that is two $2\mathrm{s}$ electrons and two $2\mathrm{p}$ electrons which gives a total of four valence electrons.

Therefore, the valence electron in a Carbon$\left(\mathrm{C}\right)$ atom is 4.