Nitrogen (N₂) forms a triple bond between its two atoms. State how many shared pairs of electrons are present…

Question

Nitrogen (N₂) forms a triple bond between its two atoms. State how many shared pairs of electrons are present and explain why nitrogen needs to share three pairs rather than one to achieve a stable configuration.

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer Nitrogen has **3 shared pairs** of electrons (triple bond). Each nitrogen atom has 5 valence electrons; sharing 3 pairs gives each atom a complete octet (2+6=8 electrons), which one shared pair cannot achieve. ## Explanation The key points examiners look for: (1) state the number — 3 shared pairs, and (2) briefly justify using valence electrons / octet rule. Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons, so it needs 3 more to complete its octet; sharing one pair would give only 6 electrons per atom, which is insufficient. A triple bond (3 shared pairs) satisfies both atoms' octets.

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