To determine the number of valence electrons in NH₄⁺ (ammonium ion), we need to consider the valence electron configuration of each atom and take into account the overall charge of the ion.
In NH₄⁺, we have one nitrogen (N) atom and four hydrogen (H) atoms.
Nitrogen (N) is in Group 15 of the periodic table, so it has 5 valence electrons.
Hydrogen (H) is in Group 1 of the periodic table and has 1 valence electron per atom.
Since NH₄⁺ is a positively charged ion, we need to subtract one electron to account for the +1 charge. This is because the ammonium ion has lost one electron to become positively charged.
Therefore, the total number of valence electrons in NH₄⁺ is:
5 (from nitrogen) + 4(1 from each hydrogen) - 1 (charge) = 8 valence electrons.
NH₄⁺ has 8 valence electrons.