Suppose you are on a winter vacation, and a big snowstorm hits. the electricity in your cabin goes off. you have a woodstove to keep you warm, but you have no water because the well has an electric pump. you were hoping to make instant hot cocoa. where can you get the water for cocoa and how can you boil it?

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.

that's it!

if you need further assistance, let me know: )

~ trueboss72