What is the Difference Between Valency and Valence Electrons?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚Valency and valence electrons are related concepts in chemistry, but they have distinct meanings:
- Valency: It is the capacity of an atom to form covalent bonds with other atoms. The valency of an element represents its combining power or capacity, which is determined by the number of electrons it can gain or lose to achieve a stable electronic configuration. For example, sodium (Na) loses one electron to attain a noble gas electronic configuration, so its valency is 1.
- Valence Electrons: These are the electrons present in the outermost or valence shell of an atom. Valence electrons are responsible for bonding and sharing one or more protons with another atom. For example, oxygen has 6 valence electrons in its outermost shell.
In summary, valency refers to the ability of an atom to form bonds, while valence electrons are the specific electrons involved in bonding and sharing protons with other atoms.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Valency and Valence Electrons? Comparative Table: Valency vs Valence Electrons
Comparative Table: Valency vs Valence Electrons
Here is a table that highlights the differences between valency and valence electrons:
| Property | Valency | Valence Electrons |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Valency refers to the combined capacity of an atom, representing the number of electrons it can gain, lose, or share when forming compounds. | Valence electrons are the electrons present in the outermost energy level or shell of an atom. |
| Determination | Valency is determined by the electronic configuration of an atom, specifically the number of valence electrons. | The number of valence electrons can often be determined by the group number (column) of an element in the periodic table. |
| Group Number | Elements in the same group typically exhibit similar chemical properties due to their shared number of valence electrons. | |
| Octet Rule | Valence electrons are involved in the fulfillment of the octet rule, where atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration with eight electrons in the outermost shell. | |
| Physical and Chemical Properties | Valence electrons influence the physical and chemical properties of elements. |
In summary, valencia refers to an atom's bonding capacity, while valence electrons are the actual electrons involved in bonding.
Read more:
- Valence vs Core Electrons
- Electrovalency vs Covalency
- Valency vs Charge
- Electrovalent vs Covalent Bond
- Valency vs Oxidation Number
- Valency vs Oxidation State
- Ions vs Electrons
- Radical vs Valency
- Primary vs Secondary Valency
- Electropositive vs Electronegative
- Molecular Orbital Theory vs Valence Bond Theory
- Electronegativity vs Polarity
- Valence Shell vs Penultimate Shell
- Ionic vs Covalent Bonds
- Proton vs Electron
- Electronegativity vs Ionization Energy
- Covalency vs Oxidation State
- Electronegativity vs Electron Affinity
- Molecular Geometry vs Electron Geometry