How can you tell the number of covalent bonds an element can form?

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Chemistry

Lainey Wheeler

13 March, 18:15

How can you tell the number of covalent bonds an element can form?

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Jayda Bauer · Answer 1

The number of bonds for a neutral atom is equal to the number of electrons in the full valence shell (2 or 8 electrons) minus the number of valence electrons. This method works because each covalent bond that an atom forms adds another electron to an atoms valence shell without changing its charge.