Bromine (Br) is located in Group 17 of the periodic table, also known as Group VIIA or the halogens. Elements in Group 17 typically have 7 valence electrons.
The electron configuration of bromine is [Ar] 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁵. To determine the number of outer electrons (valence electrons), we look at the outermost energy level, which is the 4th energy level (4p orbital) in the case of bromine.
In the 4p orbital, there are 5 electrons (4p⁵). Therefore, bromine has 5 outer electrons or valence electrons.
The valence electrons of bromine play a crucial role in its chemical reactivity, especially in forming covalent bonds by sharing electrons with other atoms.