* Aluminum's (Al) Ground State: Aluminum has 3 valence electrons in its ground state (it's in Group 13 of the periodic table).
* Anions Gain Electrons: The "-3" charge on the aluminum ion (Al⁻³) indicates it has gained 3 electrons.
* Valence Electrons in the Ion: Since it gained 3 electrons, it now has a total of 3 + 3 = 6 valence electrons.
Therefore, Al⁻³ has 6 valence electrons.
