Silver is the best conductor. How many valence electrons do you think it has?

Question:- Silver is the best conductor. How many valence electrons do you think it has?

a. 1

b. 4

c. 18

d. 29

Answer: d. 29

Silver has an atomic number of 47, and it is found at group 11 on the periodic table. The atomic number is simply the number of protons in an atom, which also equals to the electrons.

Silver is a transition metal that can be oxidized to have cations with other valences due to its partially filled d subshell.

Specifically, silver has the following electron configuration:

1s2, 2s2, 2p6, 3s2, 3p6, 4s2,3d10, 4p₆ and so on

It is then apparent that for the silver involves 1 electron in the5s orbital, ten electrons are found to be from4d orbitals apart and six of them come through 4p.

The total number of electrons in silver is 47 because its atomic number equals to the same value. However, from these 47 electrons, we have valence electron-29 (electrons in the outermost shell available for bond) .

Hence, the accurate answer is d) 29. The fact that silver is a metal with the highest number of valence electrons makes it perform as the best electrical conductor amongst all elements.