Valence Electrons in Cesium (Cs)

Valence Electrons in Cesium

Determine the number of valence electrons in Cesium (Cs, Element 55)

Step 1: Look up the electronic configuration for Cesium

The abbreviated (condensed) ground electronic configuration for Cesium is:

[Xe] 6s¹

Calculate Electronic Configuration for Cesium

Step 2: Identify the outermost electrons using the electronic configuration

Electrons in atomic orbitals outside the [Xe] core are the outermost electrons:

6s¹

Step 3: Use the principle quantum number to identify the valence electrons

Extract the principle quantum number, n, and number of electrons from the electron configuration:

The outermost electrons with the largest principal quantum number (in this case, n = 6) are valence electrons.

Answer

Cesium (Cs) has 1 valence electron(s).