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MCQEasyJEE 2026Valency & Oxidation States

JEE Chemistry 2026 Question with Solution

Consider the elements N, P, O, S, Cl and F. The number of valence electrons present in the elements with most and least metallic character from the above list is respectively.

  • A

    77 and 55

  • B

    66 and 77

  • C

    55 and 66

  • D

    55 and 77

Answer

Correct answer:D

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: The elements are N, P, O, S, Cl and F.

Find: The number of valence electrons in the elements having the most metallic and least metallic character.

Concept: Metallic character increases down a group and decreases from left to right across a period.

From the given elements:

N, P (Group 15),O, S (Group 16),F, Cl (Group 17)\text{N, P (Group 15)}, \quad \text{O, S (Group 16)}, \quad \text{F, Cl (Group 17)}

Comparing elements in the same groups:

P>N,S>O,Cl>F\text{P} > \text{N}, \quad \text{S} > \text{O}, \quad \text{Cl} > \text{F}

Among P, S and Cl, phosphorus (P) is the most metallic.

Valence electrons of P:

55

The least metallic element is the most non-metallic. Fluorine (F) is the least metallic.

Valence electrons of F:

77

Therefore, the required numbers are 55 and 77. The correct option is D.

Periodic Table Trend Shortcut

Given: The elements are N, P, O, S, Cl and F.

Find: Which elements are most metallic and least metallic, then their valence electrons.

A quick way is to use the periodic table trend directly: metallic character increases toward the lower-left and decreases toward the upper-right.

So, from the list, P lies lower and more to the left than S and Cl, making it the most metallic. F lies at the extreme non-metallic side, so it is the least metallic.

Now use group numbers:

  • P belongs to Group 1515, so it has 55 valence electrons.
  • F belongs to Group 1717, so it has 77 valence electrons.

Therefore, the correct option is D.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing Cl as the most metallic because it is below F is incorrect. You must compare all the given elements together, not only within one group. Among P, S and Cl, P is farther to the left, so it is more metallic.

  • Confusing least metallic with least reactive is incorrect. Here, least metallic means most non-metallic. F is the most non-metallic element in the list, so it has to be selected.

  • Using atomic number instead of group number to count valence electrons is incorrect. For main-group elements, valence electrons are obtained from the group: P = 55 and F = 77.

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