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NEET levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 1 of 3pn003

Bismuth shows +3 as its most stable oxidation state, rather than +5, because of

  1. Athe high electronegativity of bismuth
  2. Bthe absence of vacant orbitals in bismuth
  3. Cthe small atomic size of bismuth
  4. Dthe inert pair effect of the electrons

Answer: D

Down the group the ns pair becomes increasingly reluctant to take part in bonding (poor shielding by d and f electrons), so the lower oxidation state (+3) is favoured for Bi. Bismuth is large and of low electronegativity, so the other choices are wrong.
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