To find the number of valence electrons for Copper (Cu)we need to look at its electron configuration. This is necessary because Cu is a transition metal (d block element) and we need to take into account electrons found in its d orbitals.

We can write this in condensed electron configuration for Cu as:
[Ar] 3d10 4s1

How to write the Cu Electron Config: [ Ссылка ]

This allows us to look at the number of electrons outside of the Noble Gas core. For Cu this means we have 11 valence electrons.

Note that for transition metals, like Cu, not all of the valence electrons have to be used to form chemical bonds with other elements. Transition metals often have several oxidation states depending on how many valance electrons are lost to the element(s) they are bonded to.

Helpful videos:
• Finding Valence Electrons for Transition Metals: [ Ссылка ]
• Finding Valence Electrons (element): [ Ссылка ]
• Finding Valence Electrons (molecule): [ Ссылка ]
• How to Draw Lewis Structures: [ Ссылка ]

Drawing/writing done in InkScape. Screen capture done with Camtasia Studio 4.0. Done on a Dell Dimension laptop computer with a Wacom digital tablet (Bamboo).

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