Carbon forms ____compounds whereas lead forms _____ compounds.

Answer

To answer the question: "Carbon forms ____ compounds whereas lead forms _____ compounds," we can break it down into the following steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Group Characteristics
- Carbon and lead belong to the same group in the periodic table, which is Group 14. This group includes carbon (C), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), and lead (Pb).

### Step 2: Analyze Carbon's Behavior
- Carbon has four valence electrons (configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p²).
- Due to its electron configuration, carbon cannot easily lose four electrons to form a C⁴⁺ ion because the energy required (ionization enthalpy) is very high.
- Additionally, gaining four electrons to form a C⁴⁻ ion is not energetically favorable either.

### Step 3: Determine Carbon's Bonding Type
- Because carbon cannot form stable ionic bonds, it primarily forms covalent bonds by sharing its four valence electrons with other atoms.

### Step 4: Analyze Lead's Behavior
- Lead, being lower in the group, has a larger atomic size and lower ionization energy compared to carbon.
- This allows lead to lose electrons more easily and form positive ions (like Pb²⁺ or Pb⁴⁺).

### Step 5: Determine Lead's Bonding Type
- Due to its ability to lose electrons and form cations, lead can form ionic compounds with nonmetals.

### Final Answer
Carbon forms **covalent** compounds whereas lead forms **ionic** compounds.

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