What is the Valency of Sodium

Answer: Valency refers to the number of electrons that are gained or lost by an atom in order to complete its outermost shell. By completing their outer shell, or octet (8 electrons in the outermost shell), the atoms become stable.

Sodium (Na) has the atomic number 11 (Z=11). The electrical configuration of sodium is 2, 8, and 1 in written form. In the shells, K, L, and M, 2, 8, and 1 electron are dispersed. As a result, sodium’s valence electron is 1, and it must lose one electron from the outermost orbit to achieve an octet. Therefore, sodium has a valency of 1.