Which one of the following elements exhibits singular valency?

Which one of the following elements exhibits singular valency?

Sulphur
Phosphorus
Sodium
Copper
This question was previously asked in
UPSC Geoscientist – 2022
The correct answer is Sodium.
Valency is the combining capacity of an element. Some elements have a fixed valency (singular), while others exhibit variable valency.
Sodium (Na) is an alkali metal (Group 1) and typically loses one electron to form a +1 ion, exhibiting a fixed valency of 1. Sulphur (S) can have valencies of 2, 4, 6. Phosphorus (P) can have valencies of 3, 5. Copper (Cu) is a transition metal and commonly exhibits valencies of 1 and 2. Thus, sodium is the element among the options that exhibits a singular valency.