what is inert pair effectwhen and where to apply it?

Dear Tarun,

Inert pair effect is the tendency of the outermost s electrons to remain nonionized or unshared in compounds of post-transition metals. The term inert pair effect is often used in relation to the increasing stability of oxidation states that are 2 less than the group valency for the heavier elements of groups 13, 14, 15 and 16.The situation in groups 14, 15 and 16 is that the stability trend is similar going down the group, but for the heaviest members, e.g. lead, bismuth and polonium both oxidation states are known.the valence electrons in an s orbital are more tightly bound are of higher energy than electrons in p orbitals and therefore less likely to be involved in bonding.

Please feel free to ask your queries here. We are all IITians and here to help you in your IIT JEE preparation.

All the best.

Win exciting gifts by answering the questions on Discussion Forum. So help discuss any query on askiitians forum and become an Elite Expert League askiitian.

Now you score 5+15 POINTS by uploading your Pic and Downloading the Askiitians Toolbar  respectively : Click here to download the toolbar..

Askiitians Expert

Suryakanth –IITB