 The idea that the number of valences of a given element was invariant was a key component of Kekulé's version of structural chemistry.This generalization suffered from many exceptions, and was subsequently replaced by the suggestion that valences were fixed at certain oxidation states.For example, periodic acid according to Kekuléan structure theory could be represented by the chain structure I-O-O-O-O-H. By contrast, the modern structure of (meta) periodic acid has all four oxygen atoms surrounding the iodine in a tetrahedral geometry.