Science (086) — AI-generated practice question

No, the student's claim is incorrect.

More bonds do not mean more reactivity — in fact, the opposite is true here.

• H₂ has a single bond — one shared electron pair between the two hydrogen atoms. This bond is relatively weaker and easier to break, making H₂ fairly reactive.
• N₂ has a triple bond — three shared electron pairs between the two nitrogen atoms. This makes the N≡N bond extremely strong and stable, so it is very difficult to break.

Bond strength determines reactivity: a stronger bond requires more energy to break, making the molecule less reactive, not more. This is similar to how unsaturated carbon compounds (with double/triple bonds between carbons) are more reactive than saturated ones, but in N₂, the triple bond is so strong that the molecule is largely inert under normal conditions.

Therefore, N₂ is actually much less reactive than H₂, despite having more bonds.

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Examiners look for: (1) correctly rejecting the claim, (2) defining single vs triple bond in terms of shared electron pairs, (3) linking bond strength to reactivity (more bonds = stronger, harder to break = less reactive for N₂), and (4) contrast with H₂'s weaker bond making it more reactive. The source passages establish that stronger bonds (as in carbon's stable C–C bonds) mean greater stability/less reactivity — apply the same logic to N₂ vs H₂. Avoid writing that "more bonds = more reactive" — that is the misconception being tested.