Valence Electrons in Oganesson (Og)

Valence Electrons in Oganesson

Determine the number of valence electrons in Oganesson (Og, Element 118)

Step 1: Look up the electronic configuration for Oganesson

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

[Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p⁶

Calculate Electronic Configuration for Oganesson

Step 2: Identify the outermost electrons using the electronic configuration

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

5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p⁶

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 = 7) are valence electrons.

Answer

Oganesson (Og) has 8 (2 + 6) valence electrons.