Class XII ---- The p-Block Elements

ACCOUNT FOR THE FOLLOWING

Introduction
1. For larger elements of p-block, ns2 electrons are relatively inert.
2. The first member of each group differs from the remaining members of the group.
3. The maximum covalency of the first member of each group is 4.
4. The first member of the group can form pπ-pπ multiple bonds with itself and with other elements
of the same period.
5. pπ-dπ and dπ-dπ multiple bonds are unstable.

Group 15 elements - Nitrogen Family

Atomic properties.
1. Group 15 elements show extra stability.
2. From N to P, there is a considerable increase in atomic size, but from As to Bi there is only a
small increase.
3. Ionization enthalpy of group 15 elements are much greater than that of the corresponding
members of group 14.
4. Electronegativity decreases down a group.
5. Nitrogen compounds show hydrogen bonding whereas phosphorus compounds don't.
6. Ionization enthalpy decreases down a group.
7. Ionization enthalpy of group 15 elements is greater than that of the corresponding
members of group 16.
Physical properties
1. Metallic character increases down a group.
2. N and Bi belong to the same group. N is a non-metal but Bi is a metal.
3. Nitrogen exits as a diatomic molecule but P, As and Sb are polyatomic.
4. Nitrogen exist as a gas but phosphorus exist as a solid.
5. The melting point increases from N to As but decreases from As to Bi.
Chemical properties
1. N and P can show -3 oxidation state in some compounds.
2. Top to bottom in a group the stability of -3 oxidation state decreases.
3. Top to bottom in a group the stability of +3 oxidation state increases and that of +5 decreases.
4. The only well known Bi(V) compound is BiF5.
5. BiCl3 exits but not BiCl5.
6. BiF5 exits but not BiCl5.
7. The maximum covalency of nitrogen is only 4.
8. Nitrogen can form NCl3 but not NCl5.
9. P can form PCl3, PCl5 and even PF6-.
10. Nitrogen show anomalous behaviour.
11. Catenation tendency of nitrogen is less than phosphorus.
12. Nitrogen is very less reactive than phosphorus.
13. Food packets are filled with nitrogen gas.
14. R3P=O exists but not R3N=O.
15. R3P=CH2 exists but not R3N=CH2.
16. Thermal stability of group 15 hydrides decreases down the group.
17. Among group 15 hydrides, NH3 is a mild reducing agent whereas BiH3 is a strong reducing
agent.
18. Group 15 hydrides are lewis bases.
19. NH3 is more basic than PH3.
20. Basic nature of group 15 hydrides decreases down the group.

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21. N2O3 is acidic but Bi2O3 is basic.
22. NO2 is more acidic than NO.
23. Nitrogen can form large number of oxides.
24. Pentahalides are more covalent than trihalides.
25. Nitrogen doesn't form pentahalides.
26. BiF5 exits but not BiCl5, BiBr5 and BiI5.
27. Among the halides of N, NF3 is stable but not NCl3, NBr3 and NI3.
28. BiF3 is ionic but all the other trihalides are covalent.
29. PH3 has a lower boiling point than NH3.
30. Among the hydrides of group 15, the bond angles follow the order:
H-N-H > H-P-H > H-As-H >H-Sb-H > H-Bi-H
31. Nitrogen cannot form pπ-dπ and dπ-dπ multiple bonds but other elements of group 15 can.
32. Nitrogen can form pπ-pπ multiple bonds with itself and other elements like carbon and oxygen.
33. Acidic nature of trioxides decreases down the group.

Dinitrogen
1. N2 is inert at room temperature.
2. During fractional distillation of air liquid N2 distills out before liquid O2.
Ammonia
1. Haber's process is favoured by high pressure.
2. NH3 is a Pyramidal molecule.
3. NH3 has higher melting point and boiling point than expected.
4. NH3 is highly soluble in water.
5. NH3 acts as a lewis base.
6. NH3 can be used in detection of metal ions like Cu2+. Ag+ etc.
7. Aqueous solution of NH3 is basic.
8. Bond angle in NH4+ is higher than that in NH3.
Oxides of nitrogen
1. NO2 can dimerise.
2. N2O4 turns brown on heating.
3. NO2 loses its yellow colour on cooling.
4. NO is paramagnetic.
Nitric Acid
1. Al and Cr do not dissolve in conc. HNO3.
2. Brown ring test is used for detection of NO3- ion.
Allotropes of Phosphorus
1. White phosphorus is very less stable.
2. Red Phosphorus is less reactive than White phosphorus.
Phosphine
1. PH3 in the pure form is not inflammable but otherwise it is.
2. HI is used to purify PH3.
3. Bond angle in PH4+ is higher than that in PH3.
4. PH3 is basic in nature.
5. PH3 is both a Bronsted and Lewis base.
Phosphorus Halides
1. PCl3 is pyramidal in shape.
2. PCl5 is trigonal bipyramidal in shape.
3. Axial P-Cl bonds are longer than the equatorial P-Cl bonds.
4. PCl5 exists as an ionic solid in solid state.
5. PCl3 fumes in moisture.

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6. PCl5 is a reactive molecule.
7. PCl5 can act as an oxidising agent but not as a reducing agent.
8. PCl5 has two types of P-Cl bonds.
Oxoacids of Phosphorus
1. H3PO2 is monobasic but H3PO3 is dibasic.
2. Hypophosphorous acid is a strong reducing agent.
3. Orthophosphoric acid is tribasic.

Group 16 Elements - Chalcogens

1. Group 16 elements are known as chalcogens.
Atomic properties
1. The ionization enthalpy of oxygen is less than nitrogen.
2. Electron gain enthalpy of sulphur is more negative than that of oxygen.
3. Metallic character increases down the group.
Physical properties
1. Oxygen exists as a gas but sulphur as a solid.
2. Oxygen exists as a diatomic molecule but sulphur is a polyatomic molecule.
3. The melting point and the boiling point of sulphur are much higher than expected.
Chemical properties
1. Oxygen cannot exhibit +4 and +6 oxidation states.
2. S, Se and Te can show +4 oxidation state with oxygen but +6 with fluorine.
3. Top to bottom in a group the stability of +6 oxidation state decreases and that of +4 increases.
4. The stability of -2 oxidation state decreases down the group.
5. Catenation tendency of oxygen is less than sulphur.
6. H2O is a liquid but H2S is a gas.
7. Thermal stability of group 16 hydrides decreases from H2O to H2Po.
8. H2Te is a better reducing agent than H2O.
9. In aqueous medium, H2Te will have a lower pH than H2O.
10. The acidic strength of H2O is very less.
11. SO2 is a good reducing agent.
12. TeO2 is a good oxidising agent.
13. OF6 never exits.
14. Hexahalides of group 16 elements show octahedral shape.
15. The order of stability is SF6 > SeF6 > TeF6.
16. SF4 /SeF4/TeF4 is a see-saw shaped molecule.
17. SF6 is stabler than SF4.
18. SF6 is known but not SCl6.
19. SF2 is a V-shaped molecule.
20. Group 16 monohalides occur in the dimer form.

Dioxygen
1. Oxygen molecule is paramagnetic.
2. To initiate a reaction involving O2, some heating is necessary.

Simple oxides
1. Cl2O7 is an acidic oxide.
2. Al2O3 is amphoteric.
3. N2O & NO are neutral but NO2 is acidic.
4. Some metal oxides are acidic.
5. CaO is basic

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Ozone
1. During the preparation of O3 from O2, silent electric discharge has to be used.
2. Ozone is thermodynamically unstable compared to oxygen.
Or
Decomposition of ozone is highly spontaneous.
Or
Gibbs energy change is highly negative for O3 → O2 + [O].
3. KI can be used in quantitative estimation of O3 gas.
4. Nitric oxide from supersonic jets is depleting the ozone layer.
5. Ozone has a bent shape.
6. The bond lengths in O3 are found to be identical.
7. O3 is a good oxidizing agent/bleaching agent.

Sulphur – Allotropes
1. 369K is called the transition temperature of sulphur.
2. S2 is paramagnetic.

Sulphur dioxide
1. SO2 is polar.
2. SO2 is soluble in water.
3. SO2 is similar in behaviour to CO2.
4. Moist SO2 behaves as a reducing agent.
5. SO2 decolourises KMnO4.
6. SO2 is a bent molecule.
7. When SO2 is passed through FeCl3 solution the colour changes from brown to green.
8. In SO2 the two S-O bonds are identical.
9. Iron industries also manufacture sulphur dioxide.
Sulphuric Acid
1. Low temperature and high pressure favour the catalytic oxidation of SO2.
2. H2SO4 is a dense and oily liquid.
3. Viscosity, melting point and boiling point of H2SO4 is high.
4. For H2SO4, Ka2 <<Ka1. OR HSO4- is stabler than SO42- .
5. Reaction of H2SO4 produces two types of salts.
6. H2SO4 can be used to manufacture more volatile acids.
7. Wet gases are dried by passing through H2SO4.
8. Sugar turns into a black mass on adding a few drops of H2SO4.
9. H2SO4 is a good oxidising agent.
10. H2SO4 is the king of acids.
11. H2SO4 is a very important industrial chemical.

Group 17 Elements - Halogens

1. Group 17 elements are also known as halogens.
2. The Sea is the greatest source of halogens.

Atomic properties
1. In a given period, the halogen has the smallest size.
2. Halogens have very high ionization enthalpy.
3. In a given period, the halogen has maximum negative value of electron gain enthalpy.
4. Down a group electron gain enthalpy becomes less negative.
5. Electron gain enthalpy of CI is more negative than that of F.

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6. In a period halogens are the most electronegative elements.
7. Among all the elements Fluorine is the most electronegative.

Physical properties
1. F2 is a gas but I2 is a solid.
2. All halogens are coloured.
3. Bond dissociation enthalpy of F2 is less than that of Cl2.
4. Nitrogen and Fluorine belong to the same period, but F2 is highly reactive and N2 is inert.

Chemical properties
1. All halogens show -1 oxidation state.
2. Fluorine shows only -1 oxidation state.
3. Cl, Br and I can show +1, +3, +5 and +7 oxidation states.
4. Although electron gain enthalpy of fluorine is less negative as compared to Cl, F is a stronger
oxidising agent than Cl.
5. F2 is the halogen with the strongest oxidising nature.
6. When F2 is passed through sodium bromide solution, a reddish brown colouration is noticed.
7. When greenish yellow Cl2 is passed through potassium iodide solution, a purple colouration is
noticed.
8. Fluorine shows anomalous properties.
9. HF is a liquid while HCl is a gas.
10. Fluorine shows only negative oxidation states but other halogens show both -ve and +ve
oxidation states.
11. Fluorine forms only one oxoacid but other halogens form a number of oxoacids.
12. Most reactions of F are exothermic.
13. Halogens are powerful oxidising agents.
Chemical reactions
1. F2 reacts with H2 even in dark, but I2 needs a temperature of 450oC and a catalyst for the same.
2. Thermal stability of hydrogen halides decreases from HF to HI.
3. HF is a weak acid but HI is a strong acid.
4. Among hydrohalic acids the pKa of HF>HCl>HBr>HI.
5. OF2 and H2O are isostuctural.
6. OF2 is known as oxygen fluoride and not fluorine oxide.
7. O2F2 is a strong fluorinating agent.
8. O2F2 is required in nuclear power plant wher plutonium is used as a fuel.
9. I2O7 is more acidic than I2O5 .
10. Ionic character of metal halides decreases in the order MF>MCl>MBr>MI.
11. SnCl4 is more covalent than SnCl2.
12. PbCl4 is more covalent than PbCl2.
13. SbCl5 is more covalent than SbCl3.
14. UF6 is more covalent than UF4.

Inter halogen compounds

1. IF7 is the only inter halogen compound with maximum number of atoms.
2. IF3 is a bent T shaped molecule.
3. IF5 is square pyramidal in shape.
4. IF7 is pentagonal bipyramidal in shape.
5. All inter halogen compounds are diamagnetic.
6. Inter halogens are more reactive than the respective halogens.
7. ICl is more reactive than I2 or Cl2.

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8. ClF is more reactive than F2.
9. Interhalogen compounds of F are less reactive than F2.
Chlorine
1. Chlorine has great affinity for hydrogen.
2. Chlorination of methane requires UV radiation.
3. Chlorine water loses its yellow colour on standing.
4. Chlorine water is a good bleaching agent.
5. Chlorine decolorises iodine solution.

Hydrogen chloride
1. HCl gas gives white fumes with a glass rod dipped in NH4OH.
2. Aqua regia is used to dissolve noble metals.
3. When HCl reacts with finely powdered iron it forms ferrous chloride and not ferric chloride.

Oxoacids of halogens
1. Fluorine forms only one oxoacid.
2. Acidic nature of hypohalous acids decreases in the order HOCl>HOBr>HOI.
3. Acidic nature of the oxoacids of chlorine decrease in the order HClO4>HClO3>HClO2>HClO.

Group 18 Elements – Noble gases

1. Group 18 elements are known as noble gases.

Atomic properties
1. Helium differs from other noble gases.
2. Noble gases have comparatively higher atomic size.
3. Noble gases have very high ionization enthalpy.
4. Noble gases have large +ve electron gain enthalpy.

Physical properties
1. Noble gases have low melting point and boiling point.
2. Helium can diffuse through materials like rubber,glass and plastic.
3. Noble gases are monoatomic.

Chemical properties
1. Noble gases are inert.
2. Among noble gases only Xenon forms wee established compounds.
3. Xenon doesn't form XeF3 and XeF5.
4. Xenon reacts only with oxygen and fluorine.
5. Hydrolysis of XeF6 is not a redox reaction.
6. XeF2 is linear in shape even if Xe is sp3d hybdidized.
7. XeF4 is square planar in shape.
8. XeF6 is distorted octahedral in shape.
9. XeOF4 is a square pyramidal molecule.
10. XeO3 is a pyramidal molecule.

Uses
1. Helium is used in filling balloons.
2. Argon is used in filling electric bulbs.
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