How many electrons does the bromine of BrF3 have in its outermost valence shell?
Is it still seven like it would be when Br is by itself? Is it four because the three F would "take" one each to fill their octets? Or is it some other number?
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To determine the number of electrons in the outermost valence shell of bromine in BrF3, we need to consider the electron configuration of bromine and how it shares electrons with fluorine atoms in BrF3.
Bromine (Br) has seven valence electrons when it is by itself. However, in BrF3, bromine forms three covalent bonds with three fluorine (F) atoms. A covalent bond involves the sharing of electrons between atoms.
Each covalent bond in this case involves two electrons, one from the bromine atom and one from the fluorine atom. This sharing of electrons allows both atoms to achieve a stable electron configuration, in which their valence shells are filled.
So, in the case of BrF3, bromine shares one electron with each of the three fluorine atoms, resulting in a total of three shared pairs of electrons or six shared electrons. However, bromine still has one unshared pair of electrons in its valence shell.
Therefore, the bromine atom in BrF3 has seven electrons in its outermost valence shell, just like when it is by itself.