To determine the number of valence electrons in a carbon atom, we need to look at its position on the periodic table.
1. Identify the element and its atomic number:
- Carbon (C) is an element found in Group 14 of the periodic table.
- Carbon has an atomic number of 6, which means it has 6 electrons.
2. Determine the electron configuration of carbon:
- The electron configuration of carbon is 1s² 2s² 2p².
- This configuration shows that the first two electrons fill the 1s orbital, the next two electrons fill the 2s orbital, and the remaining two electrons occupy the 2p orbital.
3. Identify the valence electrons:
- The valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell. For carbon, the outermost shell is the second shell (2s and 2p orbitals).
- From the configuration 2s² 2p², we see there are 2 electrons in the 2s orbital and 2 electrons in the 2p orbital.
- Adding these together gives a total of 4 valence electrons.
Therefore, carbon has 4 valence electrons.
The correct answer is:
○ B. Four
