Valence Electrons

Talk about Valence Electrons and the levels

In chemistry and physics, a valence electron is an outer shell electron that is associated with
an atom, and that can participate in the formation of a chemical bond if the outer shell is not
closed; in a single covalent bond, both atoms in the bond contribute one valence electron in
order to form a shared pair.

The presence of valence electrons can determine the element's chemical properties, such as

its valence—whether it may bond with other elements and, if so, how readily and with how
many. In this way, a given element's reactivity is highly dependent upon its electronic
configuration. For a main group element, a valence electron can exist only in the
outermost electron shell; for a transition metal, a valence electron can also be in an inner
shell.

THE SHELLS OF AN ATOM

The maximum number of electrons that can be in the same shell is fixed, and they are filled
from the closest to farthest shell:
K Shell (this is the closest shell to the nucleus): 2 electrons maximum
L Shell: 8 electrons maximum
M Shell: 18 electrons maximum
N Shell: 32 electrons maximum
O Shell: 50 electrons maximum
P Shell (this is the farthest shell from the nucleus): 72 electrons maximum