Group 15 Flashcards
Group 15 elements
Nitrogen - Phosphorous - Arsenic - Antimony - Bismuth
Comment on metallic nature of group 15 elements
- N, P are non-metals
- As, Sb are metalloids
- Bi is a metal
Occurrence of Nitrogen
- Nitrogen comprises around 78% of air
- It is found in NaNO3 and KNO3
- It is also found as proteins in plants and animals
Chile Saltpetre
NaNO3
Indian Saltpetre
KNO3
Occurrence of Phosphorous
- Occurs mainly as minerals of the apatite family which are the main components of phosphate rocks
- Essential part of plant and animal matter - it exists in bones as well in cells
- Phosphoproteins occur in milk and eggs
Occurrence of As, Sb, Bi
Mainly occur in sulphide minerals
Apatite family
Ca9(PO4)6.CaX2
Electronic Configuration of group 15
ns2np3
Discuss atomic size trend
It increases down the group due to increase in number of shells.
From N to P, there is expected increase but from As to Bi, there is only a small increase because of completely filled d and f orbitals
Discuss ionization enthalpy trend
It decreases down the group due to increase in number of shells.
It must be noted that group 15 elements have a much higher IE than the expected increase because of extra stability of half filled orbital (p3)
Discuss electronegativity trend
It decreases with increasing size. But amongst the heavier elements, the difference is not very big
Physical properties of group 15 elements
- N is a diatomic gas while the rest are polyatomic solids
- BP increases down the group
- MP increases from N to As and then decreases
- Except N, all elements show allotropy
Why does metallic character increase down the group?
Because of increase in atomic size and decrease in ionization enthalpy
Discuss variations in OS
- This group shows mainly -3, +3 and +5
- Stability of -3 decreases down the group due to increase in metallic character and size - Bi does not form compounds in this OS
- Stability of +5 decreases down the group due to inert pair effect - BiF5 is the only stable Bi compound in this OS state
- +3 increases down the group
- N also shows +1, +2 and +4 with oxygen
- P also shows +1, +4 in some oxoacids
Discuss disproportionation reactions in group 15 elements.
- In N, all OS between +1, +4 disproportionate to -3 and +5 in acid mediums
- P also disproportionates into +5 and -3 in acid and alkali solutions
- In As, Sb and Bi, +3 shows more stability wrt disproportionation
Anomalous properties of N
- It can form p(pi)-p(pi) bonds with itself and other elements of high electronegativity and small size like C and O
- It exists as a triple bonded diatomic molecule
- It cannot expand its covalence beyond 4 due to the absence of d orbitals
- . It cannot d(pi)-p(pi) or d(pi)-d(pi) like the other elements in this group
- The N-N bond is weaker than the P-P bond because of high repulsion of non-bonding electrons owing to the small bond length
- Has weak catenation tendency
- Has high bond enthalpy
What kind of bonds do the group 15 elements form with themselves?
- N has a triple bond relationship with itself
- P, As, Sb form P-P, As-As, Sb-Sb single bonds
- Bi is bonded to itself through metallic bonding
Reactivity towards Hydrogen
- Forms hydrides of form EH3
- The hydride stability decreases down the group -> BDE decreases down the group
- Basicity also decreases down the group
- Reducing nature increases down the group
Reactivity towards oxygen
- Forms oxides of the form E2O3 and E2O5
- Acidity of these oxides decrease down the group
- Oxide in higher OS is more acidic than the one in lower OS
- E2O3 oxides: N, P are purely acidic, As and Sb are amphoteric and Bi is basic
Reactivity towards halogen
- Forms halides of the form EX3 and EX5
- Nitrogen cannot form EX5 due to absence of d orbitals
- All the trihalides are known to be stable except the nitrogen ones
- Pentahalides are more covalent than trihalides
- Except BiF3, all trihalides are covalent
Reactivity towards metals
All elements form compounds of the form M3E2 with -3 oxidation state
Why are pentahalides more covalent than the trihalides?
Higher the OS, more the polarizing power and hence more covalent the compound is
Preparation of nitrogen
- Commercially produced by liquefaction and fractional distillation of air - N2 distills out first leaving behind liquid oxygen
- Industrially produced by reacting NaNO2 and NH4Cl - this also produces small amount of HNO3 and NO which can be removed by passing the gas through aq. solution of sulphuric acid with potassium dichromate
- It can also be produced by thermal decomposition of ammonium dichromate - (NH4)2Cr2O7
- Very pure N2 is obtained by decomposition of Ba(N3)2
Physical Properties of nitrogen
- Colorless, tasteless, odorless gas
- Non toxic
- Has very low solubility
- Low FP, MP
Solubility of nitrogen
23.2 cm3/L
Isotopes of nitrogen
N(14) and N(15)
Reactivity of nitrogen
- Nitrogen is extremely inert due to high bond enthalpy of the triple bonded diatomic molecule
- But as temperature increases, reactivity also increases
- At high temperatures, it directly combines with metals to form nitrides - ionic with metals and covalent with non-metals
- At 2000K, it reacts with oxygen to form NO
Haber’s process
N2 reacts with H2 at 773 K, in presence of a catalyst to form NH3
N2 + 3H2 = 2NH3
Conditions for Haber’s process
- According to Le Chatelier, high pressure would favor formation of products in this case - ideally, 200 atm is used
- A temperature of ~ 700 K
- A catalyst - iron oxide with traces of Al2O3 and K2O
What catalyst was used earlier in Haber’s process
Fe with Mo as a promoter
Preparation of ammonia
- It exists in air and soil due to decomposition of urea
NH2CONH2 + H2O = (NH4)2CO3 = NH3 + H2O + CO2 - For small scale production, ammonium salts are decomposed using caustic soda or limewater
- On a large scale, Haber’s process is used
Physical Properties of ammonia
- Colorless gas with a pungent odor
- Has higher MP, BP than expected because of its capability to form hydrogen bonds
- It is trigonal pyramidal with N at the apex
- It has 3 bp and 1 lp
Chemical Properties of ammonia
- It is highly soluble in water and forms a weakly basic solution due to release of OH- ions
- It forms ammonium salts with acids
- As a weak base, it precipitates the hydroxides of many metals from their salt solution
- Presence of lone pair makes NH3 a Lewis base and it donates electron pair to form linkage with metal ions to form complex compounds
Comment on the complex compounds formed on reacting NH3 with metals
- It is used to detect presence of metal ions
- (Cu2+) + NH3 = [Cu(NH3)4]2+ (blue color)
- (Ag+) + (Cl-) = AgCl (white ppt)
- NH3 + AgCl = [Ag(NH3)2]Cl (colorless)
Preparation of N2O
NH4NO3 = N2O + H2O
Preparation of NO
NaNO2 + FeSO4 + H2SO4 = Fe2(SO4)3 + NaHSO4 + H2O + NO