Oxidation number and Valency

Difference between Oxidation Number and Valency

 Oxidation Number is the residual charge of a particular atom in a molecule when rest of the atoms in the molecules are removed whereas valency is the combining capacity of an atom with the other atoms or in modern concept, valency is the no. of electrons lost, gained or shared.

Oxidation Number of an element can be positive, negative, zero or a fraction but the valency is generally a positive whole number , inert gases like Argon, Neon, Xenon, etc. show valency equal to zero.

Oxidation number of an element may vary from compound to compound but valency generally remains constant, some elements like Cu, Fe, etc. show variable valencies.