Question

According to its periodic table entry, how many electrons does nitrogen have in its valence level?

Answer 1

The valence level of an atom refers to the number of electrons that reside in the upper most energy level. Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7 and therefore has 7 electrons. The first energy level (1) holds 2 electrons, leaving 5 electrons to reside in the second energy level (2s and 2p). Therefore the valence of nitrogen is 5.