Q. Show Anomalous Behaviour of Oxygen?
Oxygen differs considerably from the rest of the family members. Small size, very high electronegativity and non-availability of d-orbitals in the valence shell are the factors responsible for these differences. The main differences are as given below:
- Oxygen is a gas while other members are solids.
- Oxygen is diatomic whereas rest of the members are polyatomic.
- Being highly electronegative, oxygen shows only negative oxidation states of -2 and -1 except in OF2, in which its oxidation state is +2.
- It shows paramagnetic behaviour in gaseous, liquid and solid states.
- Oxygen has a tendency towards extensive hydrogen bond formation. H2O is a
- Liquid, whereas hydrides of the other elements of this group are gases.