Question

gizmo warm - up
just like students sharing markers, atoms sometimes share or swap electrons. by doing this, atoms form bonds. the ionic bonds gizmo allows you to explore how ionic bonds form.
to begin, check that sodium (na) and chlorine (cl) are selected from the menus at right. click play ( ) to see electrons orbiting the nucleus of each atom. (note: these atom models are simplified and not meant to be realistic.)

1. each atom consists of a central nucleus and several shells that contain electrons. the outermost electrons are called valence electrons.

how many valence electrons does each atom have? sodium: chlorine:

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the electron configuration of Sodium (Na)

Sodium has an atomic number of 11. Its electron configuration is \(1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{6}3s^{1}\). The outermost shell is the 3rd shell, and it has 1 electron in this shell.

Step2: Determine the electron configuration of Chlorine (Cl)

Chlorine has an atomic number of 17. Its electron configuration is \(1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{6}3s^{2}3p^{5}\). The outermost shell is the 3rd shell, and it has \(2 + 5=7\) electrons in this shell.

Answer:

Sodium: 1, Chlorine: 7