Question

Chlorine, which is used to clean swimming pools, exists as two chlorine atoms covalently bonded to each other.How many valence electrons does one chlorine (Cl) atom have?

Answer 1

7

Explanation:

did the test

Answer 2

Answer: Each chlorine has 7 valence electrons.

Step-by-step explanation: Chlorine is an element with atomic number 17 and thus contains 17 electrons. Valence electrons are the electrons which are present in the valence shell.

Electronic configuration of chlorine:

`Cl:17=1s^22s^22p^63s^23p^5`

Chlorine atom has 7 valence electrons (2 in 3s and 5 in 3p orbital) and thus need to share one electron with other chlorine atom to complete its octet and attain stability.