Question

What is valency? Give the valencies of the following: oxygen, hydrogen, sodium, magnesium, chlorine.

Answer 1

Valency is the capacity of an atom to combine with the other atoms to form compounds. The valencies of the following atoms are:

1. Oxygen (O) : 2

2. Hydrogen (H) : 1

3. Sodium (Na) : 1

4. Magnesium (Mg) : 2

5. Chlorine (Cl) : 1