Question

What is the valency of Carbon: +4 or -4?

Answer 1

Valency

• The valency of an atom refers to its ability to combine with other atoms.
• The valency of an element determines the number of bonds that an atom can make as part of a complex.
• The electrons in the atom's outermost orbit are referred to as valence electrons.

Valency of Carbon

• The atomic number of carbon is $6$ with the electronic configuration of carbon represented as $\mathit{1}{s}^{\mathit{2}}\mathit{2}{s}^{\mathit{2}}\mathit{2}{p}^{\mathit{2}}$.
• For carbon, there are four valence electrons in total.
• Therefore, the valency of carbon is just $4$.