Valence electrons and electron dot diagrams for atoms
Grade 10 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
Hydrogen has 1 valence electron and oxygen has 6. How many valence electrons are in one H₂O molecule, Ari?
Carbon has 4 valence electrons and hydrogen has 1. How many valence electrons are in one C₂H₂ molecule, Bo?
Carbon has 4 valence electrons and hydrogen has 1. How many valence electrons are in one C₂H₄ molecule, Esme?
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Electrons in each shell (real data, periodic table)
element atomic number electrons by shell carbon 6 2-4 nitrogen 7 2-5 sodium 11 2-8-1 phosphorus 15 2-8-5 chlorine 17 2-8-7 potassium 19 2-8-8-1 gallium 31 2-8-18-3 How many valence electrons does gallium, with shells 2-8-18-3, have, Jun?
- 31, every electron it has
- 18, the biggest shell in the list
- 3, the outer shell only
Potassium (2-8-8-1) and sodium (2-8-1) react alike. Why, Luz?
- Both have the same total number of electrons
- Both have eight electrons in their second shell
- Both have 1 valence electron in their outer shell
An oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons. How many single (unpaired) dots does its dot diagram have, Milo?
- 4, the dots that sit in the two pairs
- 2: six dots make two pairs and two singles
- 6, one for each valence electron
Nitrogen's dot diagram has one pair and three single dots. How many bonds does nitrogen usually form, Noah?
- 1, because there is just one pair
- 5, one for each valence electron
- 3, one for each single dot
Carbon has 4 valence electrons, drawn as 4 single dots. How many hydrogen atoms bond to one carbon in methane, Pia?
- 2, because carbon sits in period 2
- 1, because hydrogen has one valence electron
- 4, one for each single dot, giving CH₄
Sodium (2-8-1) loses its outer electron. What results, Ren?
- Na⁺ with 2-8-1, the same shells as before
- Na⁻ with 2-8-2, a full outer shell
- Na⁺ with 2-8, the same arrangement as neon
Oxygen (2-6) gains electrons to fill its outer shell. What ion forms, Zee?
- O²⁻, after gaining 2 electrons to reach 2-8
- O⁶⁻, after gaining 6 electrons, its valence count
- O²⁺, after losing 2 electrons

