1. Find Niobium's Electron Configuration:

* Niobium's atomic number is 41, meaning it has 41 electrons.

* The electron configuration of Niobium is: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s¹ 4d⁴

2. Identify Valence Electrons:

* Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost energy level (the highest principal quantum number).

* In Niobium's electron configuration, the highest principal quantum number is 5 (in the 5s¹ orbital).

* Additionally, the 4d⁴ orbital is also considered part of the valence shell because it's very close in energy to the 5s orbital.

3. Count the Valence Electrons:

* There is 1 electron in the 5s orbital and 4 electrons in the 4d orbital.

Therefore, Niobium (Nb) has 5 valence electrons.