Valence Electron Practice
Name: ___________________________________________________ Period: _______
1. What is a valence electron and why are they important to a chemist?
Valence electrons are used in bonding and determine properties/characteristics of elements
2. How can you find the number of valence electrons an element has?
The group number on the periodic table tells you the number of valence electrons an element has.
3. How many protons are in the following elements?
A. Carbon
6
B. Hydrogen
1
C. Oxygen
8
D. Phosphorus
15
E. Calcium
20
4. Draw the atomic structures for the following. Include the number of protons, neutrons and
draw in the valence electrons.
A. Silicon
B. Potassium
C. Sulfur
D. Beryllium
E. Argon
F. Nitrogen
5. Indicate whether the following elements will GAIN or LOSE electrons to get a full outer shell,
and how many electrons they will need to GAIN or LOSE.
Example: Chlorine has 7 outer shell electrons, so it will GAIN 1 electron to get a full outer shell.
A. Lithium
C. Calcium
E. Boron
G. Tin
Lose 1
Lose 2
Lose 3
Gain/Lose 4
B. Bromine
D. Oxygen
F. Argon
H. Phosphorus
Gain 1
Gain2
Neither
Gain 3
6. What will the charge be of the following element when they GAIN or LOSE electrons to become
stable?
A. Aluminum
C. Nitrogen
E. Sulfur
G. Magnesium
-3
-2
+2
+3
B. Iodine
D. Potassium
-1
F. Neon
+1
0
H. Carbon
-4 or+4
7. Write the symbol and the charge for the atoms given below and identify the element as a
cation/anion and metal/nonmetal.
Element
Symbol
Charge
Metal or Nonmetal
Anion or Cation
Calcium
Ca
+2
Metal
Cation
Bromine
Br
-1
Non-metal
Anion
Nitrogen
N
-3
Non-metal
Anion
Fluorine
F
-1
Non-metal
Anion
Aluminum
Al
+3
Metal
Cation
Phosphorus
P
-3
Non-metal
Anion
Li
+1
Metal
Cation
Lithium