apply the relationship between the number of electrons in the highest occupied energy level for an element and its position in the Periodic Table

The relationship between the number of electrons in the highest occupied energy level for an element and its position in the Periodic Table is as follows:

1. Identify the period of the element: The period number of an element in the periodic table corresponds to the highest energy level that is occupied by an electron. For example, elements in period 1 have their outermost electrons in energy level 1, elements in period 2 have their outermost electrons in energy level 2, and so on.

2. Identify the group of the element: The group number (in the modern IUPAC notation) of an element can tell you the number of electrons in the outermost energy level (also known as valence electrons). For example, elements in group 1 have 1 electron in their outermost energy level, elements in group 2 have 2 electrons in the outermost energy level, and so on. For transition metals (groups 3-12), this rule doesn't apply as neatly due to the involvement of d orbitals.

3. Apply the relationship: Once you know the period and group of an element, you can determine the number of electrons in the highest occupied energy level. For example, sodium (Na) is in period 3 and group 1, so it has 1 electron in its highest occupied energy level (energy level 3).

Remember, this is a general rule and there are exceptions, especially when you get to the transition metals and the f-block elements.