Expanded Valence Shell Electrons

[Ann Zhang_1M]

For those elements that can accommodate more than 8 electrons, is it neseccary that P has 10 valence electrons, S has 12 electrons and Cl has 14 electrons?? Can P has more than 10, like 12??

[Mannat Sukhija 1E]

Yes, an expanded octet just means that an atom can have more than 8 valence electrons, it does not limit the number of electrons, for example: PCl6 would be allowed with a phosphorous atom with an expanded octet to fit 12 electrons.

[Franklin Kong 3D]

For atoms like P, S, and Cl, it is possible for them to have a different number of electrons that are more than 8. The reason for this is because their d-orbitals are able to accept additional electrons. Since there are multiple d-orbitals available, the # of valence electrons does not have to be constant for each atom.