Author Question: How do you determine the number of valence electrons and energy levels an atom has on the periodic table? (Read 752 times)

asd123

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 557
I can't remember. In order to find the number of energy levels in an atom on the periodic table, do you look at what period it is in, or what group it is in? Same for valence electrons. Do you look at what group it is in or what period it lies in?
Thanks in advance!



Jones

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 145

Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question

Jkov05

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 556
the groups (vertical columns) on the periodic table give the number of valence electrons of elements.
the periods (horizontal columns) on the periodic table give the number of electron shells.

by energy levels do you mean reactivity?  it really depends.
for example, the alkali metals (group 1) become more reactive going down the group as they only contain 1 valence electron, therefore they want to lose 1 electron rather than gain 7 to have a full shell.  (all elements react to have a full shell, so they become stable, like the noble gases in group 8.)
the halogens (group 7), however, become less reactive going down the group as they need to gain 1 rather than lose 7.

the reason for this:
the more electron shells, the weaker the attraction of the electrons to the nucleus.  therefore, in the alkali metals case, when you go down the group (more valence shells), it will become easier to lose electrons (only 1 to lose for alkali metals).
in the case of halogens, it needs to gain 1.  if the force between the nucleus and the electrons are week as you go down the group, so it becomes more difficult to gain 1, therefore less reactive.

does this mean that if, for example, lithium loses 1 electron, it will become helium?  no, because the number of protons inside the lithium element remain, which determines its atomic number.

so the alkali metals are more reactive at the bottom of the group, and the halogens are more reactive at the top of the group.

hope this helped :)



 

Did you know?

Anti-aging claims should not ever be believed. There is no supplement, medication, or any other substance that has been proven to slow or stop the aging process.

Did you know?

Many supplement containers do not even contain what their labels say. There are many documented reports of products containing much less, or more, that what is listed on their labels. They may also contain undisclosed prescription drugs and even contaminants.

Did you know?

Multiple sclerosis is a condition wherein the body's nervous system is weakened by an autoimmune reaction that attacks the myelin sheaths of neurons.

Did you know?

The U.S. Pharmacopeia Medication Errors Reporting Program states that approximately 50% of all medication errors involve insulin.

Did you know?

Vampire bats have a natural anticoagulant in their saliva that permits continuous bleeding after they painlessly open a wound with their incisors. This capillary blood does not cause any significant blood loss to their victims.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library