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since the inner shells are filled, it is the outer electrons that take part in the bonding. They can give away 1 or 2 or 3 electrons or take 1 or 2 or 3 to fill their outer ring. Or they can share.electrons in the outer ring.

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13y ago
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12y ago

Atoms can react in a few different ways. To keep it simple, in covalent bonding, atoms share electrons, and in ionic bonding, one atom gives electrons to another atom. In covalent bonding, the shared electrons are the valence electrons. In ionic bonding, the electrons than one atom loses are valence electrons and must be exactly the right number of electrons to fill the valence shell of the other atom it is bonding with.

Simpler, the definition of a valence electron is an electron that participates in chemical reactions. If you are in a more basic chemistry class, you are taught that valence electrons are the outer shell. That is usually true, but in weird cases, the valence shell might be a little different.

Because the valence electrons are the electrons that react, they are the ones that determine what reactions the element can take part in.

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Q: Why is the outer shell of electrons thought to be the most important for determining chemical properties?
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