Post-transition metal

Valency of Nihonium (Nh)

Quick answer

The valency of Nihonium is 3 — it has 3 valence electrons, and it loses them to complete its outer shell.

Teachers call it "one fact, fully handled" — exactly what this page does for Nihonium. The answer sits at the top in bold; scroll for the working, the shell-by-shell breakdown and the two questions students ask most. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Nihonium page is one click away.

Counting the valence electrons

From the configuration [Rn] 5f^14 6d^10 7s^2 7p^1, Nihonium's outermost shell carries 3 electrons. These are the electrons shown as dots in electron-dot diagrams — the hands Nihonium uses to hold other atoms.

Position check: Nihonium belongs to group 13 of the periodic table, period 7. For main-group elements in groups 13–18, a quick rule is valency = group number − 10, which gives 3 here.

Valency vs valence electrons

Valence electrons are what you count (3 for Nihonium); valency is what the atom will do to complete its outer shell (3 here). Keep the two words straight and half the periodic-table chapter writes itself.

Students also ask

How do I find the valency of Nihonium from its group?

Nihonium sits in group 13; groups 13–17 follow valency = group − 10, giving 3 (though Nihonium also shows 3).

Why does Nihonium show a fixed valency?

Nihonium has 3 valence electrons and reaches a complete outer shell in one consistent way, so its valency stays fixed at 3.