Answer to Question #11381 in Inorganic Chemistry for sudhir

Question

what is valency

Answer 1

In chemistry valence is a measure of the number of bonds formed by an atom of a
given element. "Valence" can be defined as the number of valence bonds[1] a
given atom has formed, or can form, with one or more other atoms. For most
elements the number of bonds can vary. The IUPAC definition limits valence to
the maximum number of univalent atoms that may combine with the atom, that is
the maximum number of valence bonds that is possible for the given
element.[2]
The valence of an element depends on the number of valence
electrons that may be involved in the forming of valence bonds.