Two properties of non-metallic elements and their atoms are as follows.
property 1 has an oxide that can form a strong acid in water
property 2 has no paired 3p electrons
Which properties do phosphorus and sulfur have?
15P = 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3
16S = 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4
P forms P2O5 (actually P4O10) and S forms SO3.
P2O5 and SO3 added to water form H3PO4 and H2SO4 and both are strong acids.
P has three 3p electrons and none are paired.
S has four 3p electrons and two of them are not paired.
Property 1: Phosphorus and sulfur both have an oxide that can form a strong acid in water. Phosphorus forms phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and sulfur forms sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
Property 2: Both phosphorus and sulfur have paired 3p electrons. So, they do not possess the second property mentioned.
In conclusion, phosphorus has Property 1 but not Property 2, while sulfur has both Property 1 and Property 2.
Phosphorus and sulfur are non-metallic elements.
Property 1: Phosphorus forms an oxide known as phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), which reacts with water to form phosphoric acid (H3PO4), a strong acid.
Property 2: Phosphorus has three unpaired 3p electrons.
Property 1: Sulfur forms an oxide known as sulfur trioxide (SO3), which reacts with water to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4), a strong acid.
Property 2: Sulfur has two paired 3p electrons.
To determine the properties of phosphorus and sulfur, we need to consider the given information. Let's analyze each property and see how phosphorus and sulfur fit into them.
Property 1: Has an oxide that can form a strong acid in water
This property suggests that the non-metallic element should have an oxide that can react with water to form a strong acid.
Phosphorus (P):
Phosphorus can form various oxides, such as phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) and phosphorus trioxide (P2O3). When these oxides react with water, they form phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and phosphorous acid (H3PO3), respectively. Both of these acids can be considered strong acids. Therefore, phosphorus fits property 1.
Sulfur (S):
Sulfur can form sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3) as its oxides. However, when sulfur dioxide dissolves in water, it forms sulfurous acid (H2SO3), which is a weak acid. Sulfur trioxide, on the other hand, reacts strongly with water to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which is a strong acid. So, while sulfur does have an oxide that forms a strong acid, it does not fit property 1 entirely.
Property 2: Has no paired 3p electrons
This property implies that the non-metallic element should have no paired electrons in its 3p orbital.
Phosphorus (P):
Phosphorus has an electron configuration of 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3. The 3p electrons in phosphorus are unpaired. Therefore, phosphorus fits property 2.
Sulfur (S):
Sulfur has an electron configuration of 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^4. In this case, the 3p electrons in sulfur have a paired electron. Therefore, sulfur does not fit property 2.
In summary, based on the given properties:
- Phosphorus fits both property 1 (forms an oxide that can form a strong acid) and property 2 (has no paired 3p electrons).
- Sulfur only partially fits property 1 (forms an oxide that can form a strong acid) but does not fit property 2 (has a paired electron in its 3p orbital).