Multiple Choice
According to the octet rule, oxygen has 6 valence electrons. How many additional electrons does an atom of oxygen need to achieve a stable octet configuration?
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11. Bonding & Molecular Structure
Octet Rule
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Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first videoMultiple Choice
According to the octet rule, how many electrons do most atoms seek to have in their valence shell?
A
10
B
6
C
2
D
8
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the octet rule: it states that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to have eight electrons in their valence shell, which is the outermost electron shell.
Recognize that this rule is based on the stability of noble gases, which naturally have eight valence electrons (except helium, which has two).
Recall that atoms seek to achieve a full valence shell similar to noble gases to become more stable.
Note that the number 8 corresponds to the number of electrons in a full valence shell for most atoms, according to the octet rule.
Therefore, most atoms seek to have 8 electrons in their valence shell to satisfy the octet rule.
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