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.

- decrease the number of plants and animals living in the water.

answer:

the answer is 6 valence electrons.

explanation:

valence is the # of electrons on the outer most shell of an atom.

oxygen has 6.

although, the valency of oxygen is 2, because it only needs to make 2 covalent bonds, or gain 2 electrons, to achieve the stable octet configuration of a noble gas.

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