How can you calculate how many electrons go into the shells and valence shells of side groups?

I've already gathered a lot of information here and wanted to ask the question above. I know that the valence shell can hold a maximum of 8 electrons, and that in nickel, for example, you don't get 2 8 18 electrons, but 2 8 16 2 electrons. Here are the questions: Are there always 2…

Difference between atoms and ions and represent in the shell model?

Hey, I was wondering if you could give me a detailed answer to this. For our classwork, we need to know the differences between atoms and ions and represent them in the shell model. But how do we represent them in the shell model? I don't fully understand this and can't find a proper answer….