Q.The molecule which has zero dipole moment is -
🔒You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.
🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Group 15 Nitrogen Family
The Nitrogen Family – From Air to Metal
Think about the air you breathe. Nearly 78% of it is nitrogen gas — colourless, odourless, and so unreactive that it just sits there. Now imagine a grey, shiny solid that glows in the dark. That's phosphorus. And then there's arsenic, once used as a poison; antimony, used in fireproofing; and bismuth, a heavy metal with a rainbow oxide layer.
These five elements — nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth — make up Group 15 of the periodic table. They start as a gas, become a non-metal, then a metalloid, and finally a metal. That's the single most important pattern: metallic character increases as you go down the group.
The Common Thread: Five Valence Electrons
Every element in Group 15 has the electron configuration ns2np3 in its outermost shell. Five valence electrons means they need three more to complete an octet — hence the common oxidation state of −3 (as in NHX3, ammonia, or PHX3, phosphine).
But because the ns2 pair can also be lost or shared, you get +3 (e.g., NClX3, PClX3) and +5 (e.g., HNOX3, PClX5). The +5 state becomes less stable as you go down — bismuth hardly ever shows +5 because its 6s electrons are too tightly held (the inert pair effect).
General outer configuration: ns2np3
Common oxidation states: −3, +3, +5
The Downward Trend: From Gas to Metal
| Property | N | P | As | Sb | Bi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Non-metal | Non-metal | Metalloid | Metalloid | Metal |
| State at room temp | Gas | Solid (white/red) | Solid | Solid | Solid |
| Electronegativity | 3.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| Ionisation enthalpy | High | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | Lowest |
Why does metallic character increase? As you go down, atomic size increases. The valence electrons are farther from the nucleus and more shielded. They become easier to lose (lower ionisation enthalpy) and harder to gain. So the elements start behaving less like electron-grabbers (non-metals) and more like electron-donors (metals). …
A molecule has zero dipole moment only if its bond dipoles cancel by symmetry. BF₃ is trigonal planar and symmetric, so its three B–F dipoles cancel; NF₃, ClO₂ and CH₂Cl₂ are all polar. …
Only the symmetric trigonal-planar BF₃ has μ = 0.
- BF₃: sp², trigonal planar, F at 120°; the three equal B→F dipoles cancel → μ = 0.
- NF₃: sp³ pyramidal with a lone pair → μ ≠ 0. …
- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Explain why phosphorus forms PCl5 whereas N does not form NCl5.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Forming a pentahalide requires expanding the central atom's octet using d-orbitals; phosphorus (n=3) has vacant 3d orbitals available for this, while nitrogen (n=2) has no d-orbitals at all in its valence shell, so it is structurally incapable of forming NCl5.
Octet expansion and d-orbital availability
To form PCl5, the central phosphorus atom must bond to 5 chlorine atoms, requiring 5 hybrid orbitals (sp3d, trigonal bipyramidal geometry) — i.e. an expanded octet of 10 electrons around P. This is possible because phosphorus is in period 3 and its valence shell (n=3) includes empty 3d orbitals that are energetically accessible enough to participate in hybridisation, accommodating the extra electron pairs.
Why nitrogen cannot do the same
…
- CBSE 2019Set HE1 markQ.Fill in the blank: White phosphorus possesses ______ composition in vapour state.
›Reveal solutionSolution
White phosphorus is molecular; in the vapour state it exists as P₄ molecules, with the four phosphorus atoms arranged at the corners of a regular tetrahedron.
White (yellow) phosphorus is the most reactive allotrope of phosphorus and consists of discrete P₄ tetrahedral units, both in the solid and in the vapour state. Each P atom is bonded to three other P atoms by single P–P bonds, with a P–P–P bond angle of about 60° (strained), which is one rea …
- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Second period of periodic table contains elements :(a) 2(b) 8(c) 18(d) 32
›Reveal solutionSolution
Second period = 8 elements (Li → Ne).
The second period corresponds to filling the n = 2 shell (2s and 2p orbitals), which hold a maximum of 8 electrons. The elements are Li, Be, B, C, N, O, F, Ne — a total o …
- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Group I elements of Periodic Table are known as -(a) Alkali metals(b) Alkaline earth metals(c) Inert gases(d) None
›Reveal solutionSolution
Group 1 elements are the alkali metals.
The elements of Group 1 (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr) are highly reactive metals whose hydroxides are strong bases (alkalis) that dissolve readily in water — hence 'alkali metals'. Group 2 elements a …
- CBSE 2018Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The molecule which has zero dipole moment is -(a) NF3(b) BF3(c) ClO2(d) CH2Cl2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Only the symmetric trigonal-planar BF₃ has μ = 0.
- BF₃: sp², trigonal planar, F at 120°; the three equal B→F dipoles cancel → μ = 0.
- NF₃: sp³ pyramidal with a lone pair → μ ≠ 0. …
- CBSE 2018Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following has the most stable +2 oxidation state?(a) Sn(b) Ag(c) Fe(d) Pb
›Reveal solutionSolution
Inert-pair effect makes Pb²⁺ the most stable +2 state.
For heavy p-block elements the ns² pair becomes reluctant to bond (inert-pair effect), stabilising the lower (+2) oxidation state. In group 14 this is strongest for lead, so Pb²⁺ is very stable while Pb⁴⁺ is oxidising. …
- CBSE 2017Set ANNUAL1 markQ.What is laughing gas?
›Reveal solutionSolution
N2O is called laughing gas because inhaling it produces a mild euphoric/intoxicating sensation, and it is used medically as a weak anaesthetic (e.g., in dentistry).
Laughing gas is the common name for nitrous oxide, N2O, an oxide of nitrogen in which nitrogen is in the +1 oxidation state.
…
🎓Unlock everything free for 14 days
- ✓Full step-by-step solutions
- ✓Concept-first explanations
- ✓Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- ✓PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.