The valency of silver in silver carbonate `Ag_(2)CO_(3)` is

Options

A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. zero

Answer

To determine the valency of silver in silver carbonate \( \text{Ag}_2\text{CO}_3 \), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the components of silver carbonate
Silver carbonate is made up of silver ions (Ag) and carbonate ions (CO₃). The formula indicates that there are 2 silver ions for every carbonate ion.

### Step 2: Determine the charge of the carbonate ion
The carbonate ion (CO₃) has a known charge of -2. This means that the overall charge contributed by the carbonate ion is -2.

### Step 3: Set up the equation for the charges
Since there are 2 silver ions in the compound, we can denote the valency of silver as \( x \). The total positive charge from the silver ions is \( 2x \) (because there are 2 silver ions).

### Step 4: Balance the charges
To maintain neutrality in the compound, the total positive charge from the silver ions must equal the total negative charge from the carbonate ion. Therefore, we can set up the equation:

\[ 2x + (-2) = 0 \]

### Step 5: Solve for \( x \)
Rearranging the equation gives:

\[ 2x = 2 \]

Dividing both sides by 2:

\[ x = 1 \]

### Conclusion
The valency of silver (Ag) in silver carbonate \( \text{Ag}_2\text{CO}_3 \) is +1.

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