Final answer:
The total number of valence electrons in the dot formula for the chlorate ion ClO₃ is 26.
Step-by-step explanation:
The total number of valence electrons in the dot formula for the chlorate ion ClO₃ is 26. To determine this, we count the number of valence electrons for each atom in the ion. Chlorine (Cl) has 7 valence electrons, and oxygen (O) has 6 valence electrons. Since there are three oxygen atoms in the ion, the total number of valence electrons is 7 + (6 * 3) = 25. However, we need to add one more electron to account for the negative charge on the ion, giving a total of 26 valence electrons.