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Explain the anomalous behaviour of oxygen. |
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Answer» Solution :Oxygen is the first element of group 16. Reasons for anomalous behaviour of oxygen: (i) It has small size. (ii) It has high electronegativity (3.5). (iii) It does not have vacant d-orbitals like other ELEMENTS in group 16. Oxygen shows following anomalous behaviour : (i) PHYSICAL state : Oxygen is a gas while other elenments in the group are solids at ordinary temperature. (ii) Atomicity : Oxygen exists as a diatomic molecule `O_(2)`, while other elements are polyatomic molecules like `S_(8), Se_(8)`, and bu puckered ring structure. (iii) Magnetic behaviour: (Oct. '14) Molecular oxygen `O_(2)` is paramagnetic while other elements are diamagmetic. Molecular `O_(2)` hastwo unpairedelectrons in theantibondding molecularorbital. (iv)Oxidation states : (Oct. '14) Oxygen shows oxidation state-2 in oxides, - 1 in peroxides while +2 in oxygen difluoride, `OF_(2)`. Since it does not have vacant d-orbital it doesn't show higher oxidation states while other elements of group 16 show +2, +4 and +6 oxidation states. (V)Hydrogen BONDING : Since oxygen has high electronegativity (3.5), it FORMS hydrogen bonding in its compounds like H,0, alcohols, etc. Other elements in the group do not show this property. (vi) Hydrides : (Oct. '14) The hydride of oxygen, `H_(2),O_(2)`. is a liquid while the hydrides of all other elements in group 16 are gases. |
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