Valency of Boron (B)
The valency of Boron 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 Boron. 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 Boron page is one click away.
Counting the valence electrons
From the configuration [He] 2s^2 2p^1, Boron's outermost shell carries 3 electrons. These are the electrons shown as dots in electron-dot diagrams — the hands Boron uses to hold other atoms.
Position check: Boron belongs to group 13 of the periodic table, period 2. 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 Boron); 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 Boron from its group?
Boron sits in group 13; groups 13–17 follow valency = group − 10, giving 3 (though Boron also shows 3).
Why does Boron show a fixed valency?
Boron has 3 valence electrons and reaches a complete outer shell in one consistent way, so its valency stays fixed at 3.