* Calcium (Ca): Calcium is in Group 2 of the periodic table, meaning it has 2 valence electrons.
* Chlorine (Cl): Chlorine is in Group 17 (or VIIA) of the periodic table, meaning it has 7 valence electrons.
Therefore, calcium plus chlorine together have 2 + 7 = 9 valence electrons.
It's important to note that this is a simplified representation. When calcium and chlorine react to form calcium chloride (CaCl₂), they form an ionic bond where calcium loses its two valence electrons to become a positively charged ion (Ca²⁺) and chlorine gains one electron to become a negatively charged ion (Cl⁻).
