Question

Refer to the following elements to answer the questions below. 126C168O11H147N3216S3115P, where the upper index is atomic mass and the lower index is atomic number. How many electrons will a single atom of sulfur with no charge and no bonds have in its valence shell?

Answer 1

Answer: The number of valence electrons in sulfur atom are 6.

Step-by-step explanation:

The isotopic representation of sulfur atom is
`_(16)^(32)\textrm{S}`

Valence electrons are defined as the electrons that are present in the outer most orbital of an atom. Electrons present in the orbitals having highest principle quantum number are termed as valence electrons.

Sulfur is the 16th element of the periodic table having 16 electrons.

Electronic configuration of sulfur atom is
`1s^22s^22p^63s^23p^4`

The number of valence electrons present in sulfur atom are 2 + 4 = 6

Hence, the number of valence electrons in sulfur atom are 6.