Question

Elements of group 14:
(a) exhibit oxidation state of + 4 only
(b) exhibit oxidation state of +2 and +4
(c) form $M^{2-}$ and $M^{4+}$ ions
(d) form $M^{2+}$ and $M^{4+}$ ions

Answer 1

ANSWER: b

The group 14 elements exhibit the  oxidation states of +2 and +4 due to inert pair effect.The elements present in the 14th group are C, Si, Ge, Sn and Pb.  and Ge, Sn, Pb elements also have +2 oxidation state.

The state of oxidation of an element denotes the valence electrons of the element. Therefore, all these group elements have four electron which is valence in their outer most energy levels.

Therefore, 14 group exhibits +2 and +4 oxidation states.