What is the valency of carbon?

What is the valency of carbon?

• A. Four
• B. Two
• C. Three
• D. One

Answer: (A)

Valency is the bonding capacity of an atom—how many electrons it tends to share to complete its outer shell. Carbon has four electrons in its outer shell (2s2 2p2) and needs four more to reach the stable eight-electron configuration. That’s why it commonly forms four covalent bonds with other atoms. For example, in methane the carbon atom shares four single bonds with four hydrogen atoms; in carbon dioxide it forms two double bonds with oxygen, which together involve four pairs of electrons shared around carbon. So the typical valency of carbon is four, reflecting its ability to form four bonds or four shared electron pairs to satisfy the octet rule.

Valency is the bonding capacity of an atom—how many electrons it tends to share to complete its outer shell. Carbon has four electrons in its outer shell (2s2 2p2) and needs four more to reach the stable eight-electron configuration. That’s why it commonly forms four covalent bonds with other atoms. For example, in methane the carbon atom shares four single bonds with four hydrogen atoms; in carbon dioxide it forms two double bonds with oxygen, which together involve four pairs of electrons shared around carbon. So the typical valency of carbon is four, reflecting its ability to form four bonds or four shared electron pairs to satisfy the octet rule.