NY Chemistry Regents Exam Jan 2023
The first four elements in Group 14 are carbon, silicon, germanium, and tin. These elements form compounds with chlorine that have similar formulas. Two examples of these formulas are silicon tetrachloride, SiCl4, and germanium tetrachloride, GeCl4.
53 State the general trend in atomic radius as these four elements are considered in order of increasing atomic number. [1]
We can look at the atomic radius of the atoms listed in Table S on the Reference Table to figure out the trend for the atomic radius or just memorize that atomic radius increases as we go to the left and down on the periodic table.
Answer: As the elements are considered in order of increasing atomic number, their atomic radius increases as well.
54 State, in terms of electron configuration, why silicon and germanium both form tetrachloride compounds. [1]
Both silicon and germanium are in the same group on the Periodic Table and therefore have the same number of valence electrons which allows them to form tetrachloride compounds.
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