Group 15
The Pnictogen (Nitrogen Family)
Nitrogen
Elemental nitrogen (N2) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert
diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of
Earth's atmosphere. The element nitrogen was discovered as a separable
component of air, by Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford, in 1772.
Solid Nitrogen (63K)
transparent dewar flask with liquid nitrogen connected to the vacuum pump.
After evacuating of the flask, nitrogen solidifying.
Nitrogen Compounds
The most common nitrogen compound is ammoinia NH3. Nitrogen is
notable for the range of explosively unstable compounds that it can
produce. Nitrogen triiodide NI3 is an extremely sensitive contact explosive.
Nitrocellulose, produced by nitration of cellulose with nitric acid, is also
known as guncotton. Nitroglycerin, made by nitration of glycerin, is the
dangerously unstable explosive ingredient of dynamite. The comparatively
stable, but more powerful explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) is the standard
explosive against which the power of nuclear explosions are measured.
Phosphorus
Elemental
phosphorous
(P4 -tetraatomic,
tetrahedron
shape) - has
several
forms
(allotropes)
with different
properties.
The most
common are
Red and
White
phosphorus.
There is also
black and
scarlet
phosphorus,
which are
not as
common.
Reacts with
air and must
be stored
under water.
Phosphorus
compounds
are used in
explosives,
nerve
agents,
friction
matches (red
phosphorus),
fireworks,
pesticides,
toothpastes,
and
detergents.
The most
important
commercial
use of
phosphorusbased
chemicals is
the
production
of fertilizers,
to replace
the
phosphorus
that plants
remove from
the soil.
Arsenic
Elemental phosphorous (As4 -tetra-atomic, tetrahedron shape) - has
several forms (allotropes) with different properties although only the grey
form is industrially important. The three most common allotropes are
metallic grey, yellow and black arsenic.
Arsenic is a metalloid. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, mainly combined
with sulfur and metals, and also naturally in the native (elemental) state.
Arsenic and many of its compounds are especially potent poisons. They
are also used in pressure treated wood up until the end of 2003.