Atoms of oxygen have a total of 8 electrons. are these atoms stable, and why or why not? a.) yes, because the octet rule says stable atoms have 8 electrons. b.) no, because only atoms with 2 valence electrons are stable. c.) yes, because oxygen is in the air we breathe and it doesn�t hurt us. d.) no, because the atoms have only 6 valence electrons, but need 8 for stability.