Question

The valency of cupric ion is ______ .

Answer 1

Copper:

• Copper is a chemical element with a chemical symbol '$\mathbf{Cu}$' and an atomic number of 29.
• It is a soft metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity, hence widely used in electric wiring and electronic goods.
• It is a transition metal that belongs to group 11 of the periodic table, hence can exist in variable valency of 1 and 2 called cuprous ion (${\mathbf{Cu}}^{\mathbf{+}}$) and cupric ion (${\mathbf{Cu}}^{\mathbf{2}\mathbf{+}}$) respectively.
• The variable valency is based on the number of electrons gained or lost in different compounds.

Cupric ion:

• A Cupric ion (${\mathbf{Cu}}^{\mathbf{2}\mathbf{+}}$) is an ion of copper that carries a double positive charge and is called as a cupric ion.
• This happens when the copper atoms lose two electrons and the formula becomes ${\mathbf{Cu}}^{\mathbf{2}\mathbf{+}}$with valency 2.

Thus, the valency of the cupric ion is 2 .