Question

Which pair of elements of the following sets is likely to have similar chemical behavior?

• A. Sodium and aluminium
• B. Argon and potassium
• C. Boron and germanium
• D. Nitrogen and phosphorous

Answer 1

The correct option is D

Nitrogen and phosphorous

Explanation for correct option:

(D) Nitrogen and phosphorous:

• Chemical characteristics are comparable among elements in the same group of the periodic table.
• Their atoms have the same number of electrons at the highest occupied energy level.
• Both Nitrogen and Phosphorous are $15$ group elements and hence have comparable chemical characteristics.

Hence, (D) is the correct option.

Explanation for incorrect options:

(A) Sodium and aluminum:

• Sodium is group $1$ element and aluminum is group $13$ element. Hence they do not have similar chemical behaviour.

(B) Argon and potassium:

• Argon is group $18$ element and potassium is group $1$ element. Hence they do not have similar chemical behaviour.

(C) Boron and germanium:

• Boron is group $13$ element and germanium is group $14$ element. Hence they do not have similar chemical behaviour.

Therefore, the correct option is (D) Nitrogen and phosphorous.