What is Valence Electron?

Valence electrons are the outermost electrons in an atom, which are involved, or have the
potential to become involved, in the bonding process. The outermost electrons help us to easily
understand the process of bonding.

For representative elements, the number of valence electrons in an atom corresponds to the
number of the group in which the atom is found. For example, elements such as hydrogen and sodium
(in fact, all alkali metals, Group IA or 1) have one valence electron. From left to right in period 2,
beryllium, Be (Group IIA or 2), has two valence electrons; boron, B (Group IIIA or 13), has three; carbon,
C (Group IVA or 14), has four; and so forth.