Valency of Niobium (Nb)
The valency of Niobium is 2 — it has 1 valence electron, and it loses them to complete its outer shell.
Teachers call it "one fact, fully handled" — exactly what this page does for Niobium. 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 Niobium page is one click away.
Counting the valence electrons
From the configuration [Kr] 4d⁴ 5s¹, Niobium's outermost shell carries 1 electron. For a d-block element the nearby inner "d" subshell can also lend electrons, which is where variable valency comes from.
Position check: Niobium belongs to group 5 of the periodic table, period 5.
Valency vs valence electrons
Valence electrons are what you count (1 for Niobium); valency is what the atom will do to complete its outer shell (2 here). Keep the two words straight and half the periodic-table chapter writes itself.
Students also ask
How do I find the valency of Niobium from its group?
Niobium sits in group 5; for this transition group the safe exam answer is its common valency, 2.
Why does Niobium show a fixed valency?
Niobium has 1 valence electron and reaches a complete outer shell in one consistent way, so its valency stays fixed at 2.