Oxygen has 6 valence electrons in its outer energy level. This is because oxygen is in group 16 of the periodic table, which means it has six electrons in its outermost shell (the second shell for oxygen). The configuration of oxygen’s electrons shows that it has a total of 8 electrons, distributed as 2 in the first shell and 6 in the second shell. The outer shell is important because it determines how oxygen interacts with other elements and molecules, particularly in forming bonds. Oxygen tends to gain or share two more electrons to fill its outer shell, achieving a stable octet configuration.
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