covalent bonds

[AlexandraZuniga1L]

Does the valence of an atom equal the number of covalent bonds?

[505194972 3k]

I'm not sure if i completely understand your question but valance electrons in an atom are the electrons in the outer shell. So for example, Carbon has 4 valence electrons but the amount of bonds can vary based on what other element it is bonding with and what gives all atoms involved a complete octet. Elements in the third level such as Phosphorus i believe, can have more than an octet in a lewis stucure. If you are referring to lewis structures, you want to make sure your lewis structure has enough lone pairs and bonds so it adds up to the total number of valance electrons in the molecule. Hope this helps!

[Bingcui Guo]

It depends on whether all of its electrons pair with the electron from the other element to form a bond. If not, then the number of covalent bond is not equal to the number of valence electrons

[Christopher Wendland 4F]

Not all of the valence electrons bond in every situation so the number of valence electrons is not equal to the number of bonds.