What best explains how two oxygen atoms, each with six valence electrons, can bond with each other? One atom can lose two electrons so that the other atom can gain them and have eight valence electrons. One atom can lose four electrons to the environment so that a total of eight valence electrons remains. Each atom can share two electrons with the other so that each atom has eight valence electrons. Each atom can lose two electrons so that there is a total of eight valence electrons between the atoms.