To determine the number of valence electrons in a neutral CO (carbon monoxide) atom in its ground state, we need to consider the electron configuration of carbon (C) and oxygen (O).
Carbon is in Group 14 of the periodic table, so it has four valence electrons. The electron configuration of carbon is 1s² 2s² 2p², where the superscripts represent the number of electrons in each orbital.
Oxygen, on the other hand, is in Group 16 and has six valence electrons. The electron configuration of oxygen is 1s² 2s² 2p⁴.
When combining carbon and oxygen in CO, the carbon atom forms a double bond with the oxygen atom, sharing two electrons. This double bond can be represented as C=O.
In the Lewis structure of CO, the carbon atom is surrounded by three electron pairs, consisting of the double bond and one lone pair. The oxygen atom has three lone pairs of electrons.
Therefore, the neutral CO molecule has a total of 4 + 6 = 10 valence electrons.
It's important to note that in a neutral CO atom (not the molecule), the carbon atom itself would have only four valence electrons, while the oxygen atom would have six valence electrons.