Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...(oxygen, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium) need two electrons to fill their outer p-shell. (Electron shells are divided into subshells, designated as s, p, d, f, g, and so forth. Each subshell is divided further into orbitals.) Two electrons are transferred from the cations to the anions, leaving each with a closed shell. The alkaline earth...
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