1s²2s²2p¹

### 3 valence electrons

## Step1: Identify the electron configuration### The given electron configuration is . This represents the distribution of electrons in the atomic orbitals of an element.## Step2: Determine the valence electrons### Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell of an atom. In this configuration, the outermost shell is the second shell (n=2), which contains and electrons.## Step3: Count the valence electrons### Count the electrons in the and orbitals. There are 2 electrons in the orbital and 1 electron in the orbital, giving a total of 3 valence electrons.