7.2 Why does the reactivity of nitrogen differ from phosphorus?
Nitrogen is a diatomic molecule. The two atoms of nitrogen form a triple bond which makes it highly stable. The triple bond present is very strong and difficult to break due to the small size of the nitrogen atom, this is not the case in phosphorus atom and phosphorus exists in a tetra-atomic molecule. Since single bond (213KJ/mol) is weaker than triple bond (941KJ/mol) hence they both react differently..