To find the total number of valence electrons in the ammonium ion (NH4+), we need to consider each atom in the ion.
1. **Nitrogen (N)** has 5 valence electrons. This is because it’s in group 15 of the periodic table.
2. **Hydrogen (H)** has 1 valence electron. Since there are 4 hydrogen atoms in the ammonium ion, we will multiply the number of hydrogen atoms by the number of valence electrons each has: 4 H atoms × 1 valence electron = 4 valence electrons.
So, adding these together:
- Valence electrons from Nitrogen: 5
- Valence electrons from Hydrogen: 4
This gives us a total of: 5 + 4 = 9 valence electrons.
However, we must also consider the positive charge on the ammonium ion. The + charge indicates that one electron is removed. Therefore, we subtract 1 from our total:
9 – 1 = 8 valence electrons.
In summary, the total number of valence electrons in the NH4+ ion is 8 valence electrons.