Periodic table of valence electrons

Interactive periodic table of valence electrons for the main-group elements. ElementWorks is a free interactive periodic table: hover an element to preview it, click it for its full card, or pick another view from the Show menu.

Periodic table of valence electrons explained

Valence electrons are the electrons in an atom’s outermost shell. For main-group elements the number equals the last digit of the group number: group 1 has 1, group 2 has 2, groups 13 to 18 have 3 to 8 (helium has 2). Valence electrons decide how an element bonds and what charge its ion carries. Transition metals are left blank because their valence counts vary.

Highest values

Radon (Rn): 8
Xenon (Xe): 8
Krypton (Kr): 8
Argon (Ar): 8
Neon (Ne): 8

Lowest values

Hydrogen (H): 1
Lithium (Li): 1
Sodium (Na): 1
Potassium (K): 1
Rubidium (Rb): 1

Data table

Show the full data table (all 118 elements)

Valence electrons of all 118 elements
No.	Symbol	Element	Valence electrons
1	H	Hydrogen	1
2	He	Helium	2
3	Li	Lithium	1
4	Be	Beryllium	2
5	B	Boron	3
6	C	Carbon	4
7	N	Nitrogen	5
8	O	Oxygen	6
9	F	Fluorine	7
10	Ne	Neon	8
11	Na	Sodium	1
12	Mg	Magnesium	2
13	Al	Aluminium	3
14	Si	Silicon	4
15	P	Phosphorus	5
16	S	Sulfur	6
17	Cl	Chlorine	7
18	Ar	Argon	8
19	K	Potassium	1
20	Ca	Calcium	2
21	Sc	Scandium	—
22	Ti	Titanium	—
23	V	Vanadium	—
24	Cr	Chromium	—
25	Mn	Manganese	—
26	Fe	Iron	—
27	Co	Cobalt	—
28	Ni	Nickel	—
29	Cu	Copper	—
30	Zn	Zinc	—
31	Ga	Gallium	3
32	Ge	Germanium	4
33	As	Arsenic	5
34	Se	Selenium	6
35	Br	Bromine	7
36	Kr	Krypton	8
37	Rb	Rubidium	1
38	Sr	Strontium	2
39	Y	Yttrium	—
40	Zr	Zirconium	—
41	Nb	Niobium	—
42	Mo	Molybdenum	—
43	Tc	Technetium	—
44	Ru	Ruthenium	—
45	Rh	Rhodium	—
46	Pd	Palladium	—
47	Ag	Silver	—
48	Cd	Cadmium	—
49	In	Indium	3
50	Sn	Tin	4
51	Sb	Antimony	5
52	Te	Tellurium	6
53	I	Iodine	7
54	Xe	Xenon	8
55	Cs	Cesium	1
56	Ba	Barium	2
57	La	Lanthanum	—
58	Ce	Cerium	—
59	Pr	Praseodymium	—
60	Nd	Neodymium	—
61	Pm	Promethium	—
62	Sm	Samarium	—
63	Eu	Europium	—
64	Gd	Gadolinium	—
65	Tb	Terbium	—
66	Dy	Dysprosium	—
67	Ho	Holmium	—
68	Er	Erbium	—
69	Tm	Thulium	—
70	Yb	Ytterbium	—
71	Lu	Lutetium	—
72	Hf	Hafnium	—
73	Ta	Tantalum	—
74	W	Tungsten	—
75	Re	Rhenium	—
76	Os	Osmium	—
77	Ir	Iridium	—
78	Pt	Platinum	—
79	Au	Gold	—
80	Hg	Mercury	—
81	Tl	Thallium	3
82	Pb	Lead	4
83	Bi	Bismuth	5
84	Po	Polonium	6
85	At	Astatine	7
86	Rn	Radon	8
87	Fr	Francium	1
88	Ra	Radium	2
89	Ac	Actinium	—
90	Th	Thorium	—
91	Pa	Protactinium	—
92	U	Uranium	—
93	Np	Neptunium	—
94	Pu	Plutonium	—
95	Am	Americium	—
96	Cm	Curium	—
97	Bk	Berkelium	—
98	Cf	Californium	—
99	Es	Einsteinium	—
100	Fm	Fermium	—
101	Md	Mendelevium	—
102	No	Nobelium	—
103	Lr	Lawrencium	—
104	Rf	Rutherfordium	—
105	Db	Dubnium	—
106	Sg	Seaborgium	—
107	Bh	Bohrium	—
108	Hs	Hassium	—
109	Mt	Meitnerium	—
110	Ds	Darmstadtium	—
111	Rg	Roentgenium	—
112	Cn	Copernicium	—
113	Nh	Nihonium	3
114	Fl	Flerovium	4
115	Mc	Moscovium	5
116	Lv	Livermorium	6
117	Ts	Tennessine	7
118	Og	Oganesson	8

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the number of valence electrons from the periodic table?

For main-group elements, use the group number: group 1 gives 1, group 2 gives 2, and groups 13 through 18 give 3 through 8. Helium is the exception with 2.

Why do valence electrons matter?

They are the electrons involved in bonding, and atoms tend to gain, lose or share them to reach eight (an octet) or two for the first shell.

How many valence electrons do transition metals have?

It varies, usually 2 for the outer s electrons, but d electrons can also take part, so a single count is not given here.