Inert Pair Effect ⚡ Oxidising vs Reducing
❓ Concept Question In Group 14 elements, how do we determine whether ions like A 2 + A^{2+} or B 4 + B^{4+} behave as oxidising or reducing agents ? 🖼 Concept Image ✍️ Short Concept Redox nature in p-block depends on: 👉 Ionisation enthalpy 👉 Stability of oxidation states 👉 Inert pair effect 🔷 Step 1 — Lowest Ionisation Enthalpy 💯 Lowest IE means: 👉 Electron dena easy So element shows: Metallic character Electropositive nature 👉 Common in lower group elements (Sn, Pb) 🔷 Step 2 — Oxidation State Stability Group 14 shows: + 2 and + 4 +2 \quad \text{and} \quad +4 Trend: Down the group: 👉 + 2 +2 becomes more stable 👉 + 4 +4 becomes less stable Reason: Inert Pair Effect \textbf{Inert Pair Effect} 🔷 Step 3 — Nature of A 2 + A^{2+} If +2 is stable: A 2 + → stable ion A^{2+} \rightarrow \text{stable ion} Such ions tend to lose electrons further : 👉 Act as reducing agents 🔷 Step 4 — Nature of B 4 ...