Question

The capacity of element is to combine is called its ______ ​

Answer 1

Answer:

valency

The combining capacity of an element is known as its valency. Valency is the number of valence electrons in outer shell that take part in the chemical reaction.

Answer 2

The capacity of element to combine is called its valency.

Explanation:

• Valency is the measure of combining capacity of atoms or molecules.

• Elements in the same group of the periodic table have the same valency. The valency of an element is related to how many electrons are in the outer shell.

• The number of bonds that an atom forms in order to make a compound is expressed by the valency of the element.

• Valence electron is the number of electrons in the outermost shell of an atom.

Example:

• Sodium has a configuration of $(2, 8, 1)$ in $K, L, M$ shells respectively. outermost shell has 1 electron, so valence electron is 1. Also, it looses one electron to complete the octet rule, so its valency is 1.

• Chlorine has a configuration of $(2, 8, 7)$ in $K, L, M$ shells respectively. outermost shell has 7 electron, so valence electrons are 7. Also, it gains 1 electron to complete the octet rule, so its valency is 1.