Question

Relate the number of valence electrons to the position of an element on the periodic table.

Answer 1

Take Oxygen for example... it has 6 valence electrons. This is known because of it's position from the Noble gases which have 8 ve and are therefore (sp?) stable. If you count backwards starting at the Noble gases (8) then which ever column the element you're looking for is in is the number of ve it has.

H = 1
B = 3
C = 4
etc

This doesn't work for the transitional elements however.