Question

What is the valency of carbon?

Answer 1

Every element in the periodic table is going to have valency. The valence of an element is going to give the information about the combining capacity with other elements. Without knowing the valency of an element, we cannot write the chemical formula of the compound which is going to be formed by an element.

Complete answer:
- In the question it is asked what the valency of the carbon is.
- To know about the valency of the carbon we should know the electronic configuration of the carbon.
- We should know the atomic number of the element to write the electronic configuration of the carbon.
- The atomic number of the carbon is 6.
- Therefore, the electronic configuration of the carbon is $1{{s}^{2}}2{{s}^{2}}2{{p}^{2}}$.
- The above electronic configuration is for the carbon which is in ground state.
- At the time of reaction with other elements the carbon is going to show an excited electronic configuration.
- The excited electronic configuration of carbon is $1{{s}^{2}}2{{s}^{1}}2{{p}^{3}}$.
- Means there are four unpaired electrons in the outermost orbitals of the carbon to form bonds with four other atoms.
- Therefore, the valency of the carbon is four.

Note:
The carbon is going to form four bonds with other atoms or elements due to the presence of the four valence electrons. The valence of an element is going to decide the number bonds an atom should form at the time of chemical reaction with other elements.