Question

explore it! part 3
the electrons are shared in the model you created. the bonds that hold it together are called covalent bonds.

1. how many valence electrons does oxygen have now?
2. how many valence electrons do each of the hydrogen atoms have?
3. does hydrogen have a full outer shell?

Explanation:

1. Oxygen in a water molecule (\(H_2O\)) shares electrons. Oxygen has 6 valence electrons initially. In \(H_2O\), it forms two covalent bonds (shares two pairs of electrons). So, it has \(6 + 2=8\) valence electrons now.
2. Hydrogen has 1 valence electron initially. In \(H_2O\), each hydrogen atom shares 1 electron (forms one covalent bond). So, each hydrogen atom has \(1 + 1 = 2\) valence electrons.
3. The first electron shell (outer shell for hydrogen) can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. Since each hydrogen atom has 2 valence electrons (from sharing), it has a full outer shell.

Answer:

1. 8
2. 2
3. Yes