Polonium (Po) is located in Group 16 of the periodic table, also known as Group VI or the oxygen group. Elements in Group 16 typically have 6 valence electrons. However, polonium is an exception due to its electron configuration.
The electron configuration of polonium is [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁴. To determine the number of valence electrons, we look at the outermost energy level, which is the 6th energy level (6p orbital) in the case of polonium.
In the 6p orbital, there are 4 electrons (6p⁴). Therefore, polonium has 4 valence electrons.
It's important to note that the valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost energy level, which are involved in chemical bonding and interactions.