How can you determine the number of covalent bonds that atoms of an element can typically form?

• A. By counting the number of valence electrons that are unpaired in the atom's ground state electron configuration
• B. By counting the number of protons in the nucleus
• C. By counting the total number of electrons in the atom
• D. By counting the number of neutrons in the atom

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the number of covalent bonds an atom can form is related to its valence electrons, which are the electrons in the outermost shell of the atom.
2. Recall that covalent bonds form when atoms share electrons to achieve a full valence shell, often following the octet rule (8 electrons) for many elements.
3. Determine the ground state electron configuration of the atom to identify how many valence electrons it has and how many of these are unpaired (available for bonding).
4. Count the number of unpaired valence electrons, as each unpaired electron can form one covalent bond by pairing with an electron from another atom.
5. Conclude that the typical number of covalent bonds an atom can form corresponds to the number of its unpaired valence electrons in the ground state.