* 2 electron shells: This tells us the oxygen atom has electrons in both the first and second energy levels.
* 6 covalent bonds: This means the oxygen atom is sharing 6 electrons with other atoms to form covalent bonds.
Here's how we can reason through this:
* Oxygen's atomic number is 8: This means a neutral oxygen atom normally has 8 electrons.
* Electron configuration: Oxygen's electron configuration is 2, 6. This means 2 electrons are in the first shell and 6 electrons are in the second shell.
* Covalent bonds: Oxygen often forms 2 covalent bonds (since it needs 2 more electrons to achieve a stable octet). Since it has 6 electrons in its second shell, it is sharing 6 electrons with other atoms, forming 3 covalent bonds, rather than 2.
Therefore, the oxygen atom still has 8 electrons. It has simply shared 6 of those electrons to form 3 covalent bonds with other atoms.
