Explain the monovalency of the element sodium.

Sodium(Na) is a metal with atomic number 11.

Electronic configuration of Na: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1

So, Number of valence electrons: 1

As Sodium has one electron in its valence shell and needs to remove it to attain noble gas configuration. So, it gets ionizes and gives one electron (Na) to form a compound. Thus, it has a valency of 1 and is called as a monovalent atom.

For example in Sodium Chloride, Na gives 1 electron to Cl and becomes Na+, as Cl accepts an electron, it becomes Cl-. These two ions combine to give the compound NaCl.

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Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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