Valency of Germanium (Ge)
The valency of Germanium is 4 — it has 4 valence electrons, and it shares all four to complete its outer shell.
Teachers call it "one fact, fully handled" — exactly what this page does for Germanium. 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 Germanium page is one click away.
Counting the valence electrons
From the configuration [Ar] 3d^10 4s^2 4p^2, Germanium's outermost shell carries 4 electrons. These are the electrons shown as dots in electron-dot diagrams — the hands Germanium uses to hold other atoms.
Position check: Germanium belongs to group 14 of the periodic table, period 4. For main-group elements in groups 13–18, a quick rule is valency = group number − 10, which gives 4 here.
Valency vs valence electrons
Valence electrons are what you count (4 for Germanium); valency is what the atom will do to complete its outer shell (4 here). Keep the two words straight and half the periodic-table chapter writes itself.
Students also ask
How do I find the valency of Germanium from its group?
Germanium sits in group 14; groups 13–17 follow valency = group − 10, giving 4 (though Germanium also shows 4).
Why does Germanium show a fixed valency?
Germanium has 4 valence electrons and reaches a complete outer shell in one consistent way, so its valency stays fixed at 4.