According to the octet rule, how many electrons does hydrogen seek to share or gain to complete its valence?

According to the octet rule, how many electrons does hydrogen seek to share or gain to complete its valence?

• A. 2
• B. 4
• C. 6
• D. 8

Answer: (A)

Hydrogen has one electron in its only available orbital (the 1s). That 1s orbital can hold two electrons, so hydrogen stabilizes when its valence shell contains two electrons. It achieves this by sharing one electron in a covalent bond (or by gaining one electron in rare ionic situations), giving hydrogen a full 1s^2 configuration. The numbers 4, 6, or 8 would imply adding more electrons beyond what hydrogen’s first shell can hold, which isn’t possible in its basic ground state. So, two electrons is the amount hydrogen seeks to share or gain to reach a stable arrangement.

Hydrogen has one electron in its only available orbital (the 1s). That 1s orbital can hold two electrons, so hydrogen stabilizes when its valence shell contains two electrons. It achieves this by sharing one electron in a covalent bond (or by gaining one electron in rare ionic situations), giving hydrogen a full 1s^2 configuration. The numbers 4, 6, or 8 would imply adding more electrons beyond what hydrogen’s first shell can hold, which isn’t possible in its basic ground state. So, two electrons is the amount hydrogen seeks to share or gain to reach a stable arrangement.