Question

Element A has one valence electron. How does its reactivity compare to that of element B, which has four valence electrons?
Element A is more reactive.
Element A is less reactive.
Element A and B have the same reactivity.
Element A has no reactivity.

Answer 1

Answer: Element A is more reactive.

Explanation:

A stable atom has complete octet. This means it has eight electrons in its valence shell. The atom reacts in order to complete its valence shell, either by gaining or losing electrons.

Element A has one valence electron. It can readily lose it to gain stability. On the other hand, element B has four valence electrons. This means either it would have to lose four electrons or gain four electrons which is difficult. Elements like B tend to share electrons with similar atoms to form covalent bonds.

Hence, Element A is more reactive than Element B.