Which of the following statements is true about the chemical properties of boron?
Boron is a highly reactive metal.
Boron readily forms compounds with halogens.
Boron exhibits amphoteric behaviour.
All the above
Boron is a metalloid with a valence electron configuration of . It is not a highly reactive metal and does not exhibit amphoteric behaviour. However, it readily forms compounds with halogens, such as boron trifluoride (
) and boron trichloride (
), due to its electron-deficient nature. It forms stable +3 oxidation states because it tends to lose its three valence electrons. Hence option 2 is the correct answer.
Option(1) Boron is a metalloid with a valence electron configuration of . It is not a highly reactive metal. Hence option 1 is incorrect.
Option(3) Boran does not exhibit amphoteric behaviour. However, it readily forms compounds with halogens, such as boron trifluoride () and boron trichloride
(), due to its electron-deficient nature. Hence option 3 is incorrect.
Option(4) All the given statements are not true. Hence option 4 is incorrect.