Question

Why does nitrogen show poor tendency towards catenation?

(a) N atom can form multiple pπ – pπ bonds

(b) Octet of N2 is complete unlike carbon

(c) The N ≡ N is unreactive at room temperature

(d) The N – N single bond is weaker and unstable

The question was posed to me by my school teacher while I was bunking the class.

Enquiry is from P-Block topic in chapter P-Block Elements of Chemistry – Class 12

Answer 1

The correct option is (d) The N – N single bond is weaker and unstable

Explanation: The N – N single bond is highly weak and unstable due to high magnitude of inter-electronic repulsions of non-bonding electrons which in turn is caused by the single bond’s small bond length. As a result the catenation tendency becomes weaker due to the mentioned factors leading to instability.