Chapter 126 of 2363 min read
Group 13 and 14 elements
Why this is asked: The inert pair effect makes the lower oxidation state more stable going down groups 13 and 14 — Tl⁺ is more stable than Tl³⁺, Pb²⁺ more stable than Pb⁴⁺ — the reverse of what "higher group, higher favoured state" intuition suggests. Diborane is the other signature trap: B₂H₆ has too few electrons for conventional 2-electron bonds at every position, forcing two 3-centre-2-electron bridge bonds at the bridging hydrogens.
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