Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry 6

Question 1

Name the 5 elements in Group 14 of the periodic table

Answer 1

Carbon
Silicon
Germanium
Tin
Lead

Question 2

Name the 5 elements in Group 15 of the periodic table

Answer 2

Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Arsenic
Antimony (Sb)
Bismuth

Question 3

Describe the atomic structure of elements in Group 15 (nitrogen group)

Answer 3

5 electrons in their outermost cell

2 electrons in the s sub shell and 3 unpaired electrons in the p sub shell

Question 4

Why are Group 15 elements known to be very stable in compounds?

Answer 4

Due to their proclivity for double and triple covalent bonds

Question 5

How does the strong binding of the group 15 elements affect their properties?

Answer 5

Leads to potential toxicity of phosphorus, arsenic and antimony
However causes reduced toxicity of nitrogen and bismuth as they form strong bonds with other atoms which are difficult to split = very stable molecules