Exams › JEE Main › Chemistry

In case of nitrogen, NCl3 is possible but not NCl5 while in case of phosphorus, PCl3 as well as PCl5 are possible. It is due to

1. availability of vacant d orbitals in P but not in N
2. lower electronegativity of P than N
3. lower tendency of H-bond formation in P than N
4. occurrence of P in solid while N in gaseous state at room temperature

Correct answer: availability of vacant d orbitals in P but not in N

Solution

Phosphorus has vacant d orbitals that allow it to expand its valence shell and accommodate more than four bonds, enabling the formation of PCl5. In contrast, nitrogen lacks these d orbitals, limiting it to a maximum of four bonds, which is why NCl5 cannot exist.

Related JEE Main Chemistry questions

• Which of the following arrangements shows the decreasing order of acidic nature?
• Which one of the following oxides shows amphoteric behaviour?
• In boric acid (H₃BO₃), the hybridization states of the boron atom and the oxygen atoms are, respectively,
• A xenon fluoride compound contains 53.5% xenon by mass. What oxidation state does xenon have in this compound?
• For a cement of good quality, what should be the approximate ratios of the following? I. Silica to alumina II. CaO to the combined oxides of SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3
• Because the ns² electrons of the valence shell do not readily take part in bonding, which statement is correct?

⚔️ Practice JEE Main Chemistry free + battle 1v1 →