What does electrovalency mean?
Electrovalency refers to the kind of chemical combination that arises when one atom transfers electrons to another rather than sharing them. The atom that loses electrons becomes a positively charged ion, while the atom that gains them becomes negatively charged, and the resulting attraction between these oppositely charged particles forms what is called an electrovalent or ionic bond. The term also denotes the numerical charge on such an ion — for example, sodium has an electrovalency of one, magnesium of two. Common salt, or sodium chloride, is the classic illustration: sodium surrenders its single outer electron to chlorine, and the mutual attraction between Na⁺ and Cl⁻ builds the crystal lattice. Electrovalency belongs chiefly to the vocabulary of school and introductory chemistry, particularly in British usage, where it contrasts with covalency, the bonding mode based on shared electron pairs. Though modern chemists more often say 'ionic bonding,' the word remains a clear and useful label for electron-transfer chemistry.
nounThe valency of an ion, equal to the number of positive or negative charges it carries; chemical bonding in which atoms transfer electrons to form oppositely charged ions (an electrovalent bond).
- The number of electric charges on an ion, indicating how many electrons it has gained or lost.
- (More generally) The type of chemical bonding in which atoms achieve stability by transferring electrons, forming an electrovalent (ionic) bond.
"Sodium chloride is held together by electrovalency: each sodium atom donates one electron to a chlorine atom."
"Magnesium shows an electrovalency of two because it loses two electrons when forming the Mg²⁺ ion."
"In introductory textbooks, electrovalency and covalency are presented as the two fundamental modes of chemical combination."
Rarely pluralised; the plural appears mainly when comparing the valencies of several different ions.
"The table lists the electrovalencies of common cations and anions."
Table salt exists only because sodium hands chlorine an electron outright — electrovalency is chemistry's version of giving rather than sharing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of electrovalency
Electrovalency is a twentieth-century coinage built from Greek-derived 'electro-' (from 'elektron', meaning amber, the material whose rubbing first revealed static electricity) combined with 'valency', from Latin 'valentia', meaning power or capacity. It arose alongside terms like 'electrovalent' as chemists formalised the distinction between bonds formed by electron transfer and those formed by electron sharing.
Related word forms
How electrovalency is actually used
A technical term used mainly in chemistry education, especially in British curricula; in American usage 'ionic bond' and 'valence' are more common. The term is somewhat dated in advanced literature but remains standard at school level.
Easily confused with electrovalency
Covalency involves the sharing of electrons between atoms, whereas electrovalency involves the complete transfer of electrons to form charged ions.