Everything about Nitrogen Group totally explained
Group 15 of the periodic table(formerly numbered as Group Ⅴ or Group ⅤA) is also known by the collective name
pnictogens.
This group has the defining characteristic that all the component
elements have 5 electrons in their outermost
shell, that's 2 electrons in the s subshell and 3 unpaired electrons in the p subshell. They are therefore 3 electrons short of filling their outermost electron shell in their non-
ionized state.
The most important element of this group is
nitrogen (
N), which in its diatomic form is the principal component of air.
Binary compounds of the group can be referred to collectively as
pnictides. The spelling derives from the
Greek πνίγειν (
pnigein), to
choke or stifle, which is a property of nitrogen; they're also
mnemonic for the two most common members, P and N. The name
pentels (from the Latin
penta, five) was also used for this group at one time, stemming from the earlier group naming convention (Group VB).
These elements are also noted for their
stability in compounds due to their tendency for forming double and triple
covalent bonds. This is the property of these elements which leads to their potential
toxicity, most evident in phosphorus, arsenic and antimony. When these substances react with various chemicals of the body, they create strong
free radicals not easily processed by the liver, where they accumulate. Paradoxically it's this strong bonding which causes nitrogen and bismuth's reduced toxicity (when in molecules), as these form strong bonds with other atoms which are difficult to split, creating very unreactive molecules. For example N
2, the
diatomic form of nitrogen, is used for inert atmosphere in situations where
xenon or another
noble gas would be prohibitively expensive.
The nitrogen group consists of two non-metals, two
metalloids, and one
metal. All the elements in the group are a
solid at
room temperature except for Nitrogen which is a gas at room temperature.
Nitrogen and bismuth, despite both being part of the nitrogen group, are very different in their physical properties. For example, at STP nitrogen is a transparent nonmetallic gas, while bismuth is a brittle pinkish metallic solid.
This group consists of
nitrogen (
N),
phosphorus (
P),
arsenic (
As),
antimony (
Sb),
bismuth (
Bi) and
ununpentium (
Uup) (unconfirmed).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Nitrogen Group'.
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