What characteristic of an element determines how its atoms can bond with other atoms?

how many low-energy-level electrons it has

its number of valence electrons

its total number of electrons

how many protons and neutrons it has

1 answer

The characteristic of an element that determines how its atoms can bond with other atoms is its number of valence electrons. Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell of an atom, and they play a crucial role in chemical bonding by participating in the formation of bonds with other atoms.