Meaning & use
univalent
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparablechemistrytechnical
Having a valence of one; able to form a single chemical bond.
Grammar: Not usually used in comparative forms: a univalent ion, not 'more univalent'.
Patterns
- univalent ion
- univalent atom
- univalent cation
Sodium forms a univalent cation, Na+.
A univalent atom can bond with only one other atom.
Chlorine is univalent in hydrogen chloride.
adjectivenot comparablebiologytechnical
In genetics, relating to a single chromosome that has no partner during cell division.
Grammar: Used mainly in technical writing about chromosomes.
Patterns
- univalent chromosome
- univalent pair
The univalent chromosome failed to pair during meiosis.
Researchers observed univalent chromosomes in the mutant cells.
Common combinations
- univalent ion
- A univalent ion carries a single positive or negative charge.
- univalent atom
- Hydrogen is a univalent atom because it forms one bond.
- univalent cation
- Potassium forms a univalent cation in solution.
- univalent chromosome
- The univalent chromosome did not align properly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- monovalent
- The more common term in chemistry for having a valence of one; univalent is often used in older texts.
Opposites
Word family
- valence noun
- The combining power of an atom or group.
- univalents noun
- Plural; unpaired chromosomes in genetics.
Commonly confused: univalent or monovalent?
univalent vs monovalent
Monovalent and univalent mean the same in chemistry, but monovalent is the preferred term in modern usage.
Practice
Which of the following is a univalent ion?
Choose one answer.
Na+ has a charge of +1, so it is univalent. Ca2+ has a charge of +2 (divalent), Al3+ has +3 (trivalent), and O2- has -2 (divalent).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “univalent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.