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12 grade chemistry others

What is the valency of magnesium in Mg3N2 ?

Profile image of Aniket Singh
1 Year agoGrade
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Profile image of Askiitians Tutor Team
1 Year ago

The valency of magnesium in Mg3N2 can be determined by understanding the chemical formula and the concept of valency.

In Mg3N2, "Mg" represents magnesium, and "N" represents nitrogen. The subscript numbers indicate the ratio of atoms present in the compound.

Since there are three magnesium atoms (Mg) and two nitrogen atoms (N) in Mg3N2, the compound is formed by the transfer of three electrons from each magnesium atom to two nitrogen atoms, resulting in the formation of three magnesium ions (each with a 2+ charge) and two nitrogen ions (each with a 3- charge).

The valency of an element is determined by the number of electrons it loses or gains to achieve a stable electron configuration. In this case, magnesium loses two electrons to achieve a stable configuration, so its valency in Mg3N2 is +2.