Lithium, which has the atomic number of 3, has a total of 3 electrons. To understand how many electrons are in the outermost valence shell, we need to consider the electron configuration of lithium.
In its neutral state, lithium’s electrons are arranged in shells around the nucleus. The first shell can hold up to 2 electrons, and the second shell can hold more. For lithium, the arrangement is as follows:
- First shell: 2 electrons
- Second shell: 1 electron
This means that in the case of lithium, there are 2 electrons in the first shell and 1 electron in the second shell. The electrons in the outermost shell (the second shell, in this case) determine the chemical properties of the element. Therefore, lithium has 1 electron in its outermost valence shell.