Why does nitrogen show catenation properties less than prosphorus.

Explanation

The valence shell electronic configuration of N is `2s^(2)2p^(3)`. In order to complete the octet, the two nitrogen atoms share three electron pairs in the valence p-sub-shell and get linked by triple bond `(overset(* *)N-=overset(* *)N)`. Thus molecular nitrogen exists as discrete diatomic species and there is no scope of any self linking or catenation involving a number of nitrogen atoms.However, in case of phosphorus, multiple bonding is not feasible due to comparatively large atomic size of the element. For details, consult section 3. Molecular phosphorus exists as terta-atomic molecule `(P_(4))` in white phosphorus. These tetrahedrons are further linked by covalent bonds to form red variety which is in polymeric form. Thus, catenation in nitrogen is less than in phosphorus.