Free Nitrogen and Oxygen are present in atmosphere but they do not react with each other under normal conditions because:
Correct answer: D. Nitrogen is highly inactive gas
- A. Nitrogen requires a catalyst
- B. Oxygen is very inactive
- C. Oxygen is found in less concentration
- D. Nitrogen is highly inactive gas
Explanation
Option A is a true statement, but it does not, by itself, explain why nitrogen does not react under normal conditions; Nitrogen is highly inactive so, it requires a catalyst because of its inactivity/inertness.Option B is incorrect as oxygen is quite reactive, taking part in numerous reactions such as combustion reactions.Option C is a true statement because it is found in less concentration than nitrogen, but that should not, in itself, prevent a reaction from taking place under normal conditions.Option D is correct. Nitrogen is nonpolar and has a triple bond, which requires an enormous amount of energy to overcome so, under normal conditions, it cannot react with oxygen; it requires a catalyst and heat energy to overcome its natural inertness.
This question appeared on the UHS MDCAT 2019 paper, which you can sit online with every answer explained.
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Periodic properties arise from electron configuration and effective nuclear charge, producing trends in atomic and ionic radius, ionization energy, electron affinity, electronegativity, metallic character and reactivity. Comparisons run across periods and down groups, with attention to common exceptions. The topic also relates these trends to the behavior of s-block and p-block elements.
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