Valence of an Atom [ENDORSED]

[Lianna Kishi 1A]

One of the powerpoints from class said that the valence of an atom= the number of covalent bonds. Can someone explain when we would need to know this and how to apply it?

[Elizabeth Bamishaye 2I]

A covalent bond is a bond in compounds that result from sharing one or more pairs of electrons. Therefore, in the powerpoint, it was basically saying that atoms are able to combine in order to create an octet of valence electrons by sharing electrons.

(Hopefully this makes sense.)

[isauramora3K]

I think what Dr. Lavelle was trying to explain is that in the beginning you add up the number of valence electrons your structure should have so that at the end you are able to double check that you have the correct amount.

[Rita Dang 3D]

It is basically saying that the number of covalent bonds depends on the valence of an atom. For instance, Carbon has 4 valence electrons, and therefore it can form 4 covalent bonds with other atoms. Hydrogen only has 1 valence electron, and therefore it can only form 1 covalent bond.