Oxygen has a total of eight electrons. How many valence electrons does an oxygen atom possess?

• A. 4
• B. 6
• C. 8
• D. 2

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell (energy level) of an atom that are involved in chemical bonding.
2. Determine the electron configuration of oxygen, which has 8 electrons. The configuration is 1s\^2 2s\^2 2p\^4.
3. Identify the outermost shell for oxygen, which is the second shell (n=2), containing the 2s and 2p orbitals.
4. Count the electrons in the outermost shell: 2 electrons in 2s and 4 electrons in 2p, totaling 6 valence electrons.
5. Conclude that oxygen has 6 valence electrons because these are the electrons available for bonding and chemical reactions.