Phosphorus (P) has 5 valence electrons.
To understand this, we need to consider phosphorus’s position in the periodic table. Phosphorus is in group 15 (or VA) and the third period. The group number indicates the number of electrons in the outermost shell of the atom. In the case of phosphorus, this means it has five electrons available for bonding and chemical interactions.
These valence electrons play a crucial role in determining how phosphorus reacts with other elements. For example, phosphorus typically forms compounds like phosphates, where it can share or transfer these valence electrons to form stable bonds. This characteristic is important in both organic chemistry and biochemistry, particularly in DNA and RNA structures that involve phosphorus compounds.