Examples of Valency

Valency of Sodium (Na)

The Atomic number of Na is 11 (K = 2; L = 8; M = 1). They have 1 electron in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Sodium is 1 as shown below:

Valency of Carbon (C)

The Atomic number of C is 6 (K = 2; L = 4). They have 4 electrons in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Carbon is 4 as shown below:

Valency of Oxygen (O)

The Atomic number of O is 8 (K = 2; L = 6; M= 0), They have 6 electrons in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Oxygen is: 8 – 6 = 2 as shown below:

Valency of Nitrogen (N) 

The Atomic number of N is 7 (K = 2; L = 5; M= 0). They have 5 electrons in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Nitrogen is: 8 – 5 = 3 as shown below:

Valency of Sulphur (S)

The Atomic number of S is 16 (K = 2; L = 8; M = 6). They have 6 electrons in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Sulphur is, 8 – 6=2 as shown below:

Valency of Chlorine (Cl)

The Atomic number of Cl is 17 (K = 2; L = 8; M = 7). They have 7 electrons in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Chlorine is, 8-7= 1 as shown below:

Valency of Aluminium (Al)

The Atomic number of Al is 13 (K = 2; L = 8; M = 3). They have 3 electrons in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Aluminium is 3 as shown below:

Valency of Potassium (K)

The Atomic number of K is 19 (K = 2; L = 8; M = 8, N=1). They have 1 electron in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Potassium is 1 as shown below:

Valency of Magnesium (Mg)

The Atomic number of Mg is 12 (K = 2; L = 8; M = 2). They have 2 electrons in their outermost shell. So, the valency of Magnesium is 2 as shown below:

Valency of an element is a measure of an atom’s ability to combine with other atoms to create molecules or chemical compounds. The characteristics of an element that indicate how many more atoms can join one of its atoms in a covalent bond are known as valence, or valency, in chemistry. The term, which was first used in 1868, is used to represent both the broad potential of combining an element and the numerical value of the power of combining. Since the majority of bonds are created by the interchange of valence electrons, valence is defined as the number of electrons. The valence electrons determine what valences are and what their meaning is in chemistry.