Question

Carbon and lead are in same group 4 but have different stable oxidation state, Explain the relative stability of the oxidation state.

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Answer 1

Carbon and lead differ in their stable oxidation states due to the inert pair effect, which is more pronounced in lead due to the poor shielding and relativistic effects on the 6s electrons, whereas carbon, being a smaller nonmetal, primarily exhibits the +4 oxidation state.

Step-by-step explanation:

Carbon and lead exhibit different stable oxidation states despite being in the same group (Group 14) mainly due to the inert pair effect. In the case of lead (Pb), the 6s electrons are less willing to participate in bonding due to relativistic effects and electron shielding, stabilizing the +2 oxidation state in addition to the expected +4 state. This effect is not significant for carbon (C) due to its much smaller size and lower atomic number, allowing it to commonly exhibit a +4 oxidation state in compounds like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).

Group 14 elements vary from nonmetals, like carbon, to metals like lead, which also contributes to the difference in their chemistry. Transition metals show a variety of oxidation states, but this variability is generally less common in main group elements, with notable exceptions such as lead and tin. It's interesting to note that in organic compounds, the oxidation states of carbon are represented differently, and carbon showcases a remarkable ability to form diverse types of bonds, including long chains as seen in organic molecules.

Answer 2

Carbon is generally stable across a variety of oxidation states like +4, -2, 0, and +4. While Pb is generally only stable in the +2 oxidation state

Step-by-step explanation:

There are two main reasons for this, first is the increase in metallic character as you go down the group, this tends to increase the stability of the +2 oxidation state over the +4 oxidation state. A good example of this is the oxides of lead. Pb can form two oxides PbO and PbO2. PbO, having an oxidation state of +2 is much more stable than PbO2 with an oxidation stae of +4. PbO2 will readily decompose to form the more stable PbO. This is due to the inert pair effect, where Pb tends to hold it's S shell electrons closer thus making them harder to pull away, thus making the +4 oxidation state difficult to form.

I realize this probably isn't the simple explanation you were looking for, but the question itself is a complicated one to explain