The Maximum Covalency of Nitrogen is (A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

Even though the valence shell of the N atom includes 5 electrons, its covalency cannot be 5. It will be 3 only because N’s outermost shell can only hold a maximum of 8 electrons. The octet is completely filled when its three 2𝑝 electrons connect with H. As a result, neither new covalent bonds nor the lone pair can be created, and only one coordinate bond can be produced. As a result, it can’t have more than 3 covalency.