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NITROGEN GROUP
The Nitrogen group elements (a.k.a. group VA) are also known as IUPAC Group 15 (formerly Group V) of the periodic table.
This group has the defining characteristic that all the component elements have 5 electrons in their outermost shell, that is 2 electrons in the s subshell and 3 in the p subshell. They are therefore 3 electrons short of filling their outermost electron shell in their non-ionized state. The most important element of this group is Nitrogen (N), which in its diatomic form is the principal component of air.
Other members of the group include Phosphorus (P), Arsenic (As), Antimony (Sb), Bismuth (Bi) and ununpentium (Uup) (unconfirmed).
The collective name pnicogens (now also spelled pnictogens) is also sometimes used for elements of this group, with binary compounds being called pnictides: neither term is approved by IUPAC. Both spellings are said to derive from the Greek πνίγειν (pnigein), to choke or stifle, which is a property of nitrogen; they are also mnemonic for the two commonest members, P and N.
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