StemCET Logo

Chemistry Question 59 – JEE-MAIN 2026

← Back
Correct statements from the following are: A. Nitrogen in oxidation states from +1 to +4 disproportionates in acid medium. B. Nitrogen has the ability to form dπ- pπ multiple bonds with itself and other elements with small size and high electronegativity. C. N-N single bond is stronger than P-P single bond. D. Nitrogen has highest density in its group due to small size. E. The maximum covalency of nitrogen is four since it has only four valence orbitals for bonding. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Evaluate each statement based on Nitrogen's electronic configuration (1s22s22p3), its small size as a second-period element, and its position in Group 15 of the periodic table.

🥷
Ninja Strategy•Focus on Nitrogen's Anomalies

Quickly identifying that Nitrogen cannot form dπ-pπ bonds (Statement B is false) and has a weak N-N single bond (Statement C is false) eliminates options 1, 2, and 3, leaving only option 4 as the answer.

Step 1: Evaluate Statements on Chemical Reactivity and Bonding (A & B)✦ Active

Statement A is correct. Nitrogen compounds with intermediate oxidation states (from +1 to +4) are generally unstable in acidic solutions and undergo disproportionation to form more stable compounds with lower and higher oxidation states. A common example is nitrous acid (HNO2), where Nitrogen is in the +3 state: 3HNO2→HNO3(+5)+2NO(+2)+H2O.

Statement B is incorrect. Nitrogen is a second-period element with the electronic configuration 1s22s22p3. It does not have vacant d-orbitals in its valence shell. Therefore, it cannot form dπ-pπ multiple bonds. It can only form pπ-pπ multiple bonds.

Step 2: Evaluate Statements on Bond Strength and Physical Properties (C & D)○ Expand

Statement C is incorrect. The N-N single bond (bond energy ~163 kJ/mol) is significantly weaker than the P-P single bond (bond energy ~209 kJ/mol). This is a well-known anomaly due to the small size of the nitrogen atom, which leads to strong repulsion between the lone pairs of electrons on adjacent nitrogen atoms.

Statement D is incorrect. Density generally increases down a group in the periodic table because the increase in atomic mass is more pronounced than the increase in atomic volume. Nitrogen, being the lightest element in Group 15 and a gas at standard conditions, has the lowest density in its group.

Step 3: Evaluate Statement on Covalency (E) and Conclude○ Expand

Statement E is correct. The maximum covalency of an element is determined by the number of available valence orbitals for bonding. Nitrogen has one 2s and three 2p orbitals in its valence shell, for a total of four orbitals. Thus, it can form a maximum of four covalent bonds, as seen in the ammonium ion (NH4+).

Based on the analysis, only statements A and E are correct. Therefore, the correct option is the one that lists 'A and E Only'.

✦ STEM Console utilizes AI models to generate step-by-step explanations and math clues. AI can make mistakes.