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10th grade Valence electrons and electron dot diagrams for atoms worksheet

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Valence electrons and electron dot diagrams for atoms

Grade 10 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons and oxygen has 6. How many valence electrons go into the Lewis structure of nitrate, NO₃⁻, Ari?

  2. Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons and hydrogen has 1. How many valence electrons go into the Lewis structure of ammonium, NH₄⁺, Bo?

  3. Sulfur and oxygen each have 6 valence electrons. How many valence electrons go into the Lewis structure of sulfate, SO₄²⁻, Esme?

  4. CO₂ has 16 valence electrons. Which Lewis structure uses all 16 and gives every atom an octet, Jun?

    • O=C=O, with one lone pair on each oxygen, so just 12 are used
    • O–C–O, with three lone pairs on each oxygen, so carbon has just 4
    • O=C=O, with two lone pairs on each oxygen
  5. In H₂O, which statement about electrons around each atom is right, Luz?

    • Oxygen has 8 electrons around it, and each hydrogen has 2
    • Each atom needs 8 electrons, so each hydrogen atom has 8 as well
    • Oxygen has 6 electrons around it, its valence count
  6. Calcium (2-8-8-2) and nitrogen (2-5) form an ionic compound. What is its formula, Noah?

    • CaN: one Ca gives 2 electrons to one N atom, so they balance
    • Ca₂N₃: two Ca and three N balance the charges
    • Ca₃N₂: three Ca give 6 electrons and two N take 6
  7. Read this first

    Successive ionization energies of magnesium (real data, CRC)

    electron removedenergy (kJ/mol)
    first738
    second1451
    third7733
  8. Why does magnesium form Mg²⁺ and not Mg³⁺, Pia?

    • Removing the third electron costs about the same as the second, so Mg³⁺ is possible
    • Magnesium atoms have just 2 electrons in total, so no electrons remain to lose
    • The third electron comes from a full inner shell and costs 7733 kJ/mol
  9. First ionization energy of group 1 metals (real data, CRC)

    metalenergy (kJ/mol)
    lithium520
    sodium496
    potassium419
    rubidium403
    cesium376
  10. Group 1 metals react more fiercely down the group. What explains it, Ren?

    • Each metal has more valence electrons down the group, so more of them can react
    • Each nucleus has more protons, so it holds its outer electron less tightly
    • Each has 1 valence electron, but it sits farther out and is easier to remove
  11. First ionization energy in period 3 (real data, CRC)

    elementvalence electronsenergy (kJ/mol)
    sodium1496
    chlorine71251
    argon81521
  12. Argon has the highest first ionization energy of these three. Why, Tala?

    • Argon has more valence electrons than sodium, and a bigger group is harder to remove
    • Argon has fewer shells than sodium, so its electrons sit closer to the nucleus
    • Its outer shell is a full octet with 18 protons pulling, so it costs the most
  13. Oxygen and sulfur both have 6 valence electrons. What does that predict about their ions, Zee?

    • Both form 2− ions, since each needs 2 electrons to reach 8
    • Oxygen forms 2− but sulfur forms 6−, since sulfur is bigger
    • Both form 6− ions, since each has 6 valence electrons
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10th grade Valence electrons and electron dot diagrams for atoms worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Valence electrons and dot diagrams. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can find valence electrons from the group number (groups 1–2 and 13–18) and from a configuration.
  • I can draw dot diagrams, one dot per side before pairing, up to 8.
  • I can count the valence electrons in a small molecule.
  • I can predict the ion an atom forms to reach an octet.

Standard: HS-PS1-1

Words to know

valence electrons: The electrons in an atom's outer shell

dot diagram: The symbol with one dot for each valence electron

octet: A full outer shell of 8 electrons

core: The nucleus and inner electrons, shown by the symbol

group: A column; its elements share a valence count

Common mistakes

Your child added each element's valence electrons once, ignoring how many atoms the formula shows. A subscript means that many atoms.

Your child counted only the first element in the formula. Every element in the formula adds its electrons.

Your child left out the ion's charge. A negative charge adds electrons to the count, and a positive charge removes them.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with valence electrons and electron dot diagrams for atoms?

Your child added each element's valence electrons once, ignoring how many atoms the formula shows. A subscript means that many atoms.

Are these 10th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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