Someone just asked me how does she find the valence of an electron.

I thought all electrons were negative.

I'll start to do some research but feel free to chime in....parallel processing!

EDIT: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Valence-Electrons
Is this good intel?

Anything superior quality? Target--teenager!

This is ancient history for me.  I don't need to know.

Valence of outer electron shell?

They usually want 8 electrons (but the first orbital only wants two.) The valence is the difference between what they have and what they want.

Isn't it?

What is the valence of oxygen? It has 6 and wants a total of 8 so its valence is 2.

Carbon has 4 and wants 8 so 4. Same with silicon, (same column as carbon on the periodic chart), that's why so many sci fi monsters are silicon based, because it's sort of carbon-y in behavior.

Hydrogen is that special case. It has one but only wants 2, so its valence is 1.

The noble gases are already happy with their valence shell occupants, so they have a valence of 0 and are nonreactive, or not very reactive? I think. Helium already has 2 e- and Neon and all the others already have 8 e- which is why they have a valence of 0.

OK. I just got the assignment! 

Name of element: GOLD
Symbol: Au.
Atomic number: 79
[Atomic weight: 196.966569]
Mass number (atomic mass)
State: Solid
Type of element: (metal, metalloid or non mental): Transition Metal.
Number of each particle--electrons, protons, neutrons
Which row (Period) and which column (Group):  Period 6, Group 11.
Valence electrons?

Four chemical properties:
* "It is one of the least reactive chemical elements."
* "Gold resists attack by individual acids,...giving rise to the term acid test."
*  "Gold also dissolves in alkaline solutions of cyanide, which are used in mining and electroplating."
*  "Gold dissolves in mercury, forming amalgam alloys, but this is not a chemical reaction."
* Resists corrosion.
* "Gold is the most noble of the noble metals."
* "Gold does not react with oxygen at any temperature."
* "Some free halogens react with gold."
*  "Gold does not react with sulfur directly."
*  "Gold reacts with potassium, rubidium, caesium, or tetramethylammonium, to form the respective auride salts."
*  "Gold...unaffected by most bases."
[Are these chemical properties? Are they the most legitimate ones?]

Four physical properties:
* Density--19.30 g/cm3 near room temperature. 17.31 g/cm3 when in liquid near melting point.
* Melting Point--1337.33 K ​(1064.18 °C, ​1947.52 °F)
* Boiling Point--3243 K ​(2970 °C, ​5378 °F)
* Color--metallic yellow
etc.

History:
When was it discovered. "Gold artifacts in the Balkans...appear from the 4th millennium BC."
What kind of name (English of Latin): Latin Aurum.

Three historical fact:
* how it was used--currency.
* relevant historical data--Ft. Knox
* art

Uses of the element--at least two important uses:
* jewelry (50%)--embroidery, wedding rings, ear rings, symbolism, etc.
* investment (40%)
* industry: (10%)
e.g. photography, reflector, high end CDs, satellites, filling, electrical connections, medicine, infrared shielding, sun visors for space suits, weapons, autos, de-icing, cell phone, food, architecture, monuments, reward/incentive, Olympic gold medals! [result of alchemy]

Is this element toxic or harmful to humans or other living things? 
Discuss these negative properties?
* Fighting and killing. So while it passes through the body harmlessly, it has indirectly killed many because they fight for it, or lose their lives in pursuit of.
* Pollution. Mercury used in harvesting. "Mercury poisoning in humans causes incurable brain function damage and severe retardation." Is that my problem? LOL.

BONUS:
The US national debt of about $20 Trillion http://www.usdebtclock.org/ is equivalent to about 3 times all the known gold at FMV (Fair Market Value). ""there were 183,600 tonnes of stocks in existence above ground". This can be represented by a cube with an edge length of about 21 meters.  At $1,075 per troy ounce, 183,600 metric tonnes of gold would have a value of $6.3 trillion." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold retrieved Nov. 23, 2016.]

Pictures: https://www.google.com/search?q=fort+kn … 9ES74HM%3A

References:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold
* https://www.modelmayhem.com/forums/post/948261  [I wonder how a middle school teacher will view a MM thread as a reference? LOL]
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_St … Depository Ft. Knox.
* http://www.usdebtclock.org/

A bit humbling to realize how little that I REALLY know about this precious metal.
BTW, try to draw a penny from memory. Then compare to a real one.
Eye witness testimony is often very powerful in court--but often so very wrong.

WIP:  53%

NOT YET READY FOR REVIEW NOR COMMENT.
Back to be billable hours.
TO BE CONTINUED THANKSGIVING DAY (maybe).