How are valence electrons involved in the formation of a covalent bond?

Valence electrons play a crucial role in the formation of covalent bonds. To understand their involvement, let's start with the definition of valence electrons. Valence electrons are the electrons present in the outermost energy level of an atom.

In a covalent bond, atoms share electron pairs to achieve a stable electron configuration. Each atom contributes valence electrons to the shared pair. The sharing occurs between two nonmetal atoms, usually from the same or neighboring groups on the periodic table.

To determine the number of valence electrons an atom has, you can refer to the group number it belongs to in the periodic table. For example, elements in group 1 have one valence electron, those in group 2 have two valence electrons, and so on. Elements in groups 3-12 are known as transition metals and have varying numbers of valence electrons.

The concept of valence electrons helps determine the number of covalent bonds an atom can form. Most atoms strive to achieve a stable electronic configuration similar to the noble gases, which have full valence energy levels. This stability is attained by sharing, gaining, or losing electrons.

Let's take an example using water (H2O) to illustrate how valence electrons are involved in the formation of a covalent bond. Oxygen (O) has six valence electrons, and hydrogen (H) has one valence electron. To achieve a stable octet, oxygen requires two more electrons, while each hydrogen requires one more.

In water, two hydrogen atoms each share their valence electron with the oxygen atom. This sharing allows both oxygen and hydrogen to achieve a stable electron configuration. As a result, a covalent bond is formed between oxygen and each hydrogen atom.

In summary, valence electrons are involved in the formation of covalent bonds by being shared between atoms. The number of valence electrons an atom possesses determines its bonding capacity and the number of covalent bonds it can form.

They are shared with another atom (or atoms).

but i thought they share electrons not atom...i am confused