Q: How many valence electrons do neutral phosphorus atoms have?


Read this paragraph and choose the correct option from the provided answers:

The highest-numbered shell is the third shell, which has 2 electrons in the 3s subshell and 3 electrons in the 3p subshell. That gives a total of 5 electrons, so neutral phosphorus atoms have 5 valence electrons. The 10 remaining electrons, from the first and second shells, are core electrons.

 Choices:

- nine

- three

- four

- five


A:
five