Why is nitrogen not able to form molecules with five covalent bonds? A)Because nitrogen can only form a trigonal bipyramidal shape when it bonds with other elements. B)Because nitrogen has such a high ionization energy that having five covalent bonds is not possible. C)Because nitrogen only exists as N₂ gas at room temperature. D)Because of nitrogen's small size and lack of available d orbitals for electrons. E)At least two of the above are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nitrogen has a small size and only has access to the 2p orbitals for bonding electrons, which limits its ability to form more than four covalent bonds. Nitrogen also does not have any available d orbitals for bonding, further restricting its bonding capabilities.

Why Is Nitrogen Not Able to Form Molecules with Five