NITROGEN GROUP

Group	15
Period
2
3
4
5
6
7

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 unpaired electrons 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 trivial name 'pnicogens' (now also spelled 'pnictogens') is also sometimes used for elements of this group, with binary compounds being called 'pnictides', but 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 most common members, P and N. The name 'pentels' (from the Latin ''penta'', five) was also used for this group at one time, stemming from the earlier group naming convention (Group VB).
These elements are also noted for their stability in compounds due to their proclivity for double and triple covalent bonds. This is the property of theses elements which leads to their potential toxicity, most evident in phosphorous, arsenic and antimony. When these chemicals react with various chemicals of the body, they create strong free radicals not easily processed by the liver, where they accumulate. Paradoxically it is this strong bonding which causes nitrogen and bismuths reduced toxicity(when in molecular bonds), as these form strong bonds with other atoms which are difficult to split, creating very stable molecules. For example N₂, the diatomic form of nitrogen, is used for inert atmosphere in situations where xenon or another noble gas would be prohibitively expensive.

'Explanation of above periodic table slice:'

Nonmetals	Metalloids	Poor metals	atomic number in are gases	atomic number in are solids	solid borders are primordial elements (older than the Earth)	dotted borders are radioactive, synthetic elements