Which amongst the following is most non - metallic ?

Options

A. nitrogen
B. lithium
C. oxygen
D. hydrogen

Answer

To determine which element is the most non-metallic among nitrogen, lithium, oxygen, and hydrogen, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand Non-Metallic Character
Non-metallic elements are characterized by their ability to accept electrons easily to form anions. The more readily an element can accept electrons, the more non-metallic it is.

### Step 2: Identify the Elements
The elements given are:
- Nitrogen (N)
- Lithium (Li)
- Oxygen (O)
- Hydrogen (H)

### Step 3: Determine the Electronic Configurations
Next, we need to find the electronic configurations of these elements to understand their valence electrons:
- **Nitrogen (N)**: Atomic number 7 → Electronic configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p³ (5 valence electrons)
- **Lithium (Li)**: Atomic number 3 → Electronic configuration: 1s² 2s¹ (1 valence electron)
- **Oxygen (O)**: Atomic number 8 → Electronic configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁴ (6 valence electrons)
- **Hydrogen (H)**: Atomic number 1 → Electronic configuration: 1s¹ (1 valence electron)

### Step 4: Analyze the Valence Electrons
Now, we analyze how many electrons each element needs to gain to achieve a stable octet (8 electrons in the outer shell):
- **Nitrogen**: Needs 3 electrons to complete its octet.
- **Lithium**: Needs to lose 1 electron to achieve a stable configuration (not non-metallic).
- **Oxygen**: Needs 2 electrons to complete its octet.
- **Hydrogen**: Needs to gain 1 electron to achieve a stable configuration (not very non-metallic).

### Step 5: Compare Non-Metallic Character
- **Lithium** is a metal and tends to lose electrons, so it is not non-metallic.
- **Hydrogen** can act as a non-metal but is not as non-metallic as nitrogen or oxygen.
- **Nitrogen** can accept 3 electrons, making it non-metallic but not as much as oxygen.
- **Oxygen** can accept 2 electrons and is more likely to gain electrons than nitrogen.

### Conclusion
Among the given elements, **Oxygen (O)** is the most non-metallic because it has a higher tendency to accept electrons compared to nitrogen, making it the correct answer.

### Final Answer
**Oxygen (O)** is the most non-metallic among the options provided.

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