Question
Why do Period 2 elements never form more than four covalent bonds? Why are Period 3 elements able to exceed an octet?
Step 1
These elements have their outermost electrons in the 2s and 2p orbitals. The maximum number of electrons that can be accommodated in these orbitals is 8 (2 in the 2s orbital and 6 in the 2p orbital). Therefore, these elements can form a maximum of 4 covalent Show more…
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