Answer: 2.
Explanation:
1) The number of bonds that an atom is willing to form may be predicted in terms of the octet rule.
2) Atomic number of oxygen is 8, which implies that the atom has 8 electrons.
3) The electron configuration of oxygen is 1s² 2s² 2p⁴.
4) So, oxygen has 6 electrons in its valence shell.
5) The octet rule states that any atom will try to reach the configuration of the closest noble gas by "gaiing" or "giving" the electrons to have the 8 electrons in the outer shell.
6) Then oxygen will be willing to share two electrons with other atoms to complete, along with its own 6 electrons, the 8 electrons, which leads to the configuration of the noble gas Ne.
7) Each electron shared contributes to the formation of a bond. That is why by sharing two electrons, oxygen will form two covalent bonds.
