What is the octet rule? Is there a relationship between the ...

[laurencescou]

What is the octet rule? Is there a relationship between the number of valence electrons and how many covalent bonds an atom can form? Explain.

[Charlie]

the octet rule is also called the rule of eight.this means long ago before henery mosely started using atomic number people have different assumption based on atomic mass and the octet rule was that the first element element has the similar properties with the eighth element.
  covalent bond is the bond between non metal and non metal and the relation with valence electronthat i have to get back to you cause i am not sure.

[Alainaaa8]

the octet rule states that elements prefer to be surrounded by 8 electrons.  there are certainly elements that don't obey the rule, but many of the main group elements ( not transition metals) do.  

the number of valence electrons can be determined usually from the group the elements are in on the periodic table.  The noble gases have 8 (Group VIII), halogens have 7 (Group VII), oxygen selenium and sulfur have 6 (Group VI), N and P have 5 (Group V), C has 4 (Group IV), etc.  The noble gases have a full octet (four lone pairs), so they are inert.  Most other elements have to combine with other atoms to achieve an octet of 8 electrons.

Start by adding the valence electrons to the element one at a time until it has four around it.  If you're working with, say N, there will be 5 V.E.  Once you add 4 single electrons around N, you have one more left over and this one will combine with one of the single electrons to give a lone pair.  So you have a N with one lone pair and three single electrons around it.  In order to achieve the octet rule, you need 3 more electrons, which can be gained by combining each of the single electrons with something else, say H atom (has one valence electron b/c Group I).  When you add the H atom to the three single electrons on N, you get NH3.  So, the N has one lone pair (2 electrons) and 3 covalent bonds (at 2 electrons each) for a total of 8 electrons around N.