Eight - it has a full outer shell of electrons.
Sodium does not have a full outer valence shell. It has one electron in its outermost shell, which makes it very reactive and likely to lose that electron to achieve stability.
All atoms are more stable when their outer most electron shell (valance shell also refered to as a valance orbital but it is slightly different) is full of electrons. Non metals generally have almost full valance shells and it takes less energy to gain a few electrons to reach the stable full outer shell than to lose many electrons to form a stable full outer shell. Take F as an example - it has 7 electrosn in its outermost shell and this shell can fit 8. It will accept 1 electron more easily than losing 7.
It will gain an electron so that it can complete a full outer shell of 8 electrons.
A noble gas, such as helium or neon, is unreactive and has a full outer electron shell on the periodic table. This full outer shell makes them stable and less likely to form chemical bonds with other elements.
There is one electron in sodium's valance shell.
Sodium would need to gain 7 electrons to fill its valance shell. Instead of doing that, however, sodium will lose the one valence electron it does have, leaving behind the shell below it, which is already full.
A full octet, valance shell. A valance shell with eight electrons, such as the Nobel gases have, doe not need to donate or accept electrons into or out of the valance shell to be stable.
Eight - it has a full outer shell of electrons.
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There are three valance electrons. These are the electrons in the outer shell if it is not full.
Argon has a full valance shell, an octet, while zinc does not.
Sodium does not have a full outer valence shell. It has one electron in its outermost shell, which makes it very reactive and likely to lose that electron to achieve stability.
K shell.
All atoms are more stable when their outer most electron shell (valance shell also refered to as a valance orbital but it is slightly different) is full of electrons. Non metals generally have almost full valance shells and it takes less energy to gain a few electrons to reach the stable full outer shell than to lose many electrons to form a stable full outer shell. Take F as an example - it has 7 electrosn in its outermost shell and this shell can fit 8. It will accept 1 electron more easily than losing 7.
The wide variance in their electronegativity. Chlorine has such a powerful electronegativity compared to sodium that it " takes " the sodium's electron into it's valance shell. Thus. Na + and Cl - attract each other and form NaCl sodium chloride.
It will gain an electron so that it can complete a full outer shell of 8 electrons.