Ionisation Energies - exam question

nitrogen is in group 15

Reply 3

Plato's Trousers

17

Original post by Maker

nitrogen is in group 15

oh no it ain't! Five outer electrons = group V

Reply 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen

Group 15, don't forget the transition elements.

Reply 5

laughylolly

Original post by Maker

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen

Group 15, don't forget the transition elements.

You don't usually count the transition metals at this level (well as level/higher, don't know about A2/advanced higher).

Reply 6

Original post by laughylolly

You don't usually count the transition metals at this level (well as level/higher, don't know about A2/advanced higher).

But nitrogen is a Group 15 element in the current IUPAC definition.

Reply 7

.snowflake.

You're both right. It depends what naming convention you use. The new IUPAC convention puts Nitrogen into group 15, whilst the way I've been taught is nitrogen is in group 5.

Reply 8

LadySmythe

19

Nitrogen is still classed as group 5. I know they've just tried changing the way they teach A levels so to include transiton metelas as groups, but those of us who were taught it up to about last year are taught that N is in group 5. Which makes sense where the group = no of electrons in outer shell; which in turn is just much easier than including the transition metals which have completely different properties

Reply 9

I think the exam question should have stated which naming convention they wanted the answers in.

Reply 10

laughylolly

Original post by Maker

But nitrogen is a Group 15 element in the current IUPAC definition.

Well at Scottish Higher which is the equivalent to AS level we just learn them as Group 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 0.

Maybe at university level or some parts of A2 you would refer to the groups like this but probably not at the level the OP's question is at.

Reply 11

LadySmythe

19

Original post by laughylolly

Well at Scottish Higher which is the equivalent to AS level we just learn them as Group 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 0.

Maybe at university level or some parts of A2 you would refer to the groups like this but probably not at the level the OP's question is at.

Basically what it is that very recently the IUPAC definition has changed so that the D block is also included in the group naming system, making the periodic table have 18 groups instead of the old version where it had 8 (which is what pretty much everyone who was taught chemistry up to about this year will have learned)

I'm doing a chemistry based degree at uni, and I still use the old IUPAC definition of groups. I think its a hell of a lot more logical than the new one.

Reply 12

laughylolly