Explain the following observations:
Phosphorus has greater tendency for catenation than nitrogen.

Explanation

Phosphorus has a greater tendency for catenation than nitrogen
Because of smaller size of nitrogen atom, a sigma bond and two `pi` bonds are formed between two N atoms giving `N-=N` molecule. Phosphorus is a bigger atom. There is no effective overlapping of p-orbitals forming at `pi` bonds. Hence, P prefers to form single bonds with other phosphorus atoms. In other words, it has greater tendency for catenation