How many valence electrons in H2SO4

Answer 1

To determine the number of valence electrons in the H2SO4 molecule (sulfuric acid), we need to consider the number of valence electrons for each type of atom in the molecule:

1. Hydrogen (H): Each hydrogen atom has 1 valence electron. Since there are two hydrogen atoms, they contribute a total of 2 valence electrons.
2. Sulfur (S): Sulfur is in Group 16 (also known as VI or 6A) of the periodic table, so it has 6 valence electrons.
3. Oxygen (O): Each oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons because oxygen is also in Group 16. Since there are four oxygen atoms, they contribute a total of 24 valence electrons (6 electrons per oxygen atom × 4 oxygen atoms).

Now, sum up the valence electrons from all the atoms:

Hydrogen: 2 valence electrons (2 × 1)
Sulfur: 6 valence electrons
Oxygen: 24 valence electrons (4 × 6)

Total number of valence electrons = 2 (from H) + 6 (from S) + 24 (from O) = 32 valence electrons in the H2SO4 molecule.