Chemistry · p-Block Elements (Group 15-18)

JEE Main 2024 — 27 January, Shift 2 — Question 68

Given below are two statements , one is labelled as Statement I and the other is labelled as Statement II.

Statement (I) : Oxygen being the first member of group 16 exhibits only -2 oxidation state.

Statement (II) : Down the group 16 stability of +4 oxidation state decreases and +6 oxidation state increases.

In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Option A:
Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
Option B:
Both Statement I and Statement II are correct
Option C:
Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
Correct
Option D:
Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct

Answer: C

Step-by-step solution

Statement (I) is incorrect: OxygenStatement I: Oxygen shows oxidation states other than -2. In peroxides (e.g., $\text{H}_2\text{O}_2$ ), oxygen has oxidation state -1. In superoxides (e.g., $\text{KO}_2$ ), oxygen has oxidation state -1/2. In $\text{OF}_2$ , oxygen has oxidation state +2. Thus, Statement I is incorrect.

Statement II: Down Group 16, inert pair effect becomes more pronounced. This increases stability of +4 oxidation state (e.g., $\text{Pb}^{4+}$ less stable than $\text{Pb}^{2+}$ in Group 14 analogy). Correspondingly, stability of +6 oxidation state decreases down the group. Statement II claims opposite trend, so it is incorrect.

Both statements are incorrect → Option C.

Answer key and solution verified before publishing.

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Exam: JEE Main 2024
Paper: 27 January, Shift 2
Subject: Chemistry
Chapter: p-Block Elements (Group 15-18)
Topic: Introduction & Properties of Group 16: Oxygen Family