Earlier, we located the valence electrons for elements Z < 20 by drawing modified Bohr structures. We can obtain these values quicker by referring to the roman numeral numbers above each family on the periodic table. The total number of valence electrons for an atom can vary between one and eight. If an element is located on the left side of the table (metal) and has less than three valence electrons, it will lose its valence in order to become stable and achieve an octet. In contrast, elements on the right side of the table (nonmetals) will gain up to eight electrons to achieve octet status.
