* Chlorine's Electron Configuration: Chlorine has 7 valence electrons (the electrons in its outermost shell).
* Octet Rule: Atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve a stable configuration of 8 valence electrons (an octet).
* Sharing Electrons: Each chlorine atom in Cl₂ shares one electron with the other chlorine atom. This forms a covalent bond.
* Result: By sharing one electron, each chlorine atom effectively gains an additional electron, giving it a total of 8 valence electrons (an octet).
In summary: Each chlorine atom shares one electron with the other chlorine atom in Cl₂.
