2.6.1

Valence Electrons & Forming Ions

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Valence Electrons

Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost energy level. Ionic compounds can be formed through the transfer of valence electrons between a metal and non-metal.

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Bonding

  • Valence electrons are the electrons held in the outermost energy level of an atom.
  • They are transferred from metals to non-metals to create an ionic bond.
  • Atoms will gain or lose electrons in order to achieve a noble gas electron configuration.
    • Noble gases are the most stable atoms and contain eight electrons amongst their s and p orbitals, with the exception of Helium which has 2 valence electrons.
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Metals

  • Metals are located to the left of the metalloids on the periodic table and lose their valence electrons to achieve a noble gas electron configuration.
  • When a metal loses electrons, it becomes positively charged.
    • Neutral atoms have an equal number of protons and electrons and so if an atom loses electrons there will be a surplus of positive charge.
    • When a metal loses electrons and forms a positive ion it is called a cation.
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Non-metals

  • Non-metals are to the right of the metalloids and gain electrons into the outermost energy level to achieve a noble gas electron configuration.
    • When a non-metal gains electrons, it becomes negatively charged and is called an anion.
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Forming a bond

  • The metal will lose electrons and the non-metal will gain them.
  • This creates a bond through electrostatic forces of attraction between the positively and negatively charged ions.
    • Presto, we have an ionic bond.
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The periodic table

  • The number of valence electrons an element has can be figured out by looking at which group in the periodic table the element is in.
    • For example, all the elements in Group 7 have 7 electrons in their outershell.

Jump to other topics

1Structure - Models of the Particulate of Matter

2Structure - Models of Bonding & Structure

3Structure - Classification of Matter

3.1The Periodic Table: Classification of Elements

3.2Periodic Trends

3.3Group 1 Alkali Metals

3.4Halogens

3.5Noble gases, group 18

3.6Functional Groups: Classification of Organic

3.7Functional Group Chemistry

3.8Alkanes

3.9Alcohols

3.10Halogenoalkanes

4Reactivity - What Drives Chemical Reaction?

5Reactivity - How Much, How Fast & How Far?

6Reactivity - The Mechanisms of Chemical Change

7Measurement, Data Processing & Analysis

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