Valence (redirected from vallences)

Va·lence  (v-läs, v-)

A city of southeast France on the Rhone River south of Lyon. Settled in Roman times, it was captured by the Visigoths in a.d. 413 and the Arabs c. 730. Population: 65,400.

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va·lence  (vlns) also va·len·cy (-ln-s)

n. pl. va·lenc·es also va·len·cies

1. Chemistry

a. The combining capacity of an atom or radical determined by the number of electrons that it will lose, add, or share when it reacts with other atoms.

b. A positive or negative integer used to represent this capacity: The valences of copper are 1 and 2.

2. The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or antigen.

3. The ability of a substance to interact with another or to produce an effect.

4. Psychology The degree of attraction or aversion that an individual feels toward a specific object or event.

5. Linguistics The number of arguments that a lexical item, especially a verb, can combine with to make a syntactically well-formed sentence, often along with a description of the categories of those constituents. Intransitive verbs (appear, arrive) have a valence of onethe subject; some transitive verbs (paint, touch), twothe subject and direct object; other transitive verbs (ask, give), threethe subject, direct object, and indirect object.

6. The capacity of something to unite, react, or interact with something else: "I do not claim to know much more about novels than the writing of them, but I cannot imagine one set in the breathing world which lacks any moral valence" (Robert Stone).

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[Latin valentia, capacity, from valns, valent-, present participle of valre, to be strong; see wal- in Indo-European roots.]

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valence [ˈveɪləns]

n Chem

1. (Chemistry) another name (esp US and Canadian) for valency

2. (Chemistry) the phenomenon of forming chemical bonds

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Valence (French) [valɑ̃s]

n

(Placename) a town in SE France, on the River Rhône. Pop.: 63 437 (1990)

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valence  (vlns)

A whole number that represents the ability of an atom or a group of atoms to combine with other atoms or groups of atoms. The valence is determined by the number of electrons that an atom can lose, add, or share. An atom's valence is positive if its own electrons are used in forming the bond, or negative if another atom's electrons are used. For example, a carbon atom can share four of its electrons with other atoms and therefore has a valence of +4. A sodium atom can receive an electron from another atom and therefore has a valence of -1. (In this book the distinction between positive and negative valences is ignored unless it is relevant.) The valence of an atom generally indicates how many chemical bonds it is capable of forming with other atoms. Also called valence number, oxidation state.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	valence - (biology) a relative capacity to unite or react or interact as with antigens or a biological substrate valency power, powerfulness - possession of controlling influence; "the deterrent power of nuclear weapons"; "the power of his love saved her"; "his powerfulness was concealed by a gentle facade" biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms
	2.	valence - (chemistry) a property of atoms or radicals; their combining power given in terms of the number of hydrogen atoms (or the equivalent) valency covalence, covalency - valence characterized by the sharing of electrons in a chemical compound; the number of pairs of electrons an atom can share power, powerfulness - possession of controlling influence; "the deterrent power of nuclear weapons"; "the power of his love saved her"; "his powerfulness was concealed by a gentle facade" chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions

Translations

valence [ˈveɪləns] N → valencia f

valence, valency

n (Chem) → Wertigkeit f, → Valenz f; (Ling) → Valenz f