Group 13 elements – oxidation states The atoms of these elements have three electrons in their outermost shell or we can say three valance electrons, two in the s-subshell and one in the p-subshell. Therefore, all these elements can show a maximum of +3 oxidation state. It may also be noted that due to the … Read more
Borax Also called sodium borate, sodium tetraborate or disodium tetraborate. This is an important compound of boron, a mineral and also a salt of boron It is white in color and can dissolve in water. Any number of closely related compounds or minerals that become different when their crystals are dissolved in water are called … Read more
In the nomenclature of alkanes, the name of all alkanes ends with the suffix ‘ane’. Whether the alkanes are cyclic in nature or any chained alkanes with the absence of any double or triple bonds, the name of these alkanes always ends with the suffix and. This is also valid in whether the chain … Read more
Boron is a chemical element. It takes the symbol B in the periodic table and its atomic number is 5. Boron is also found in the solar system and earth’s crust as a product of cosmic ray spallation. It is a dark brown substance with an atomic mass of 10.81. Boron appears in period … Read more
Group 13 elements – occurrence Boron is a fairly rare element and it occurs to a very small extent around 0.0001% by mass in earth’s crust. It is a very light element. It occurs in two allotropic forms, 10B(19%) 11B(81%). It does not occur in free-state but occurs as borates and orthoboric acid. The main … Read more
The elements in group 14 or carbon family form the covalent hydrides which are of type MH4. The number of hydrides and their thermal stability and the ease of their formation decreases by moving down the group. The reducing power of hydrides is increased by moving from CH4 to PbH4. Carbon forms a variety … Read more
Just like the other first elements of the respective groups’ carbon is also different from the other members of its group. Even on the same ground carbon behaves differently from other elements of its group. Carbon has unique properties and mainly this anomalous behavior of the carbon is due to the following factors. The carbon … Read more
The elements in group 14 are well known in our daily life but there is an exception for Germanium. Silicon is seventh and Carbon is a seventeenth most abundant element by weight in the earth crust. The minerals of Germanium are very rare. It occurs in minute amounts as traces in the ores of … Read more
There exists variation in the properties of group 14 elements. These elements have four electrons in their outer energy level. Two electrons are found in the s subshell and two are in the p subshell. But the outer configuration of carbon is s2 and it accounts for some differences between the properties of carbon and … Read more
There is an increasing tendency in the elements of group 14 to form the compounds with the +2 oxidation states. Particularly this phenomenon is prominent for lead and tin. Typically, the oxidation state adopted by the elements of this group is +4 as in SiCl4, SnO2, CCl4. However, methane is not the example of … Read more