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Carbon and silicon belong to group IV. T...

Carbon and silicon belong to group `IV`. The maximum coordination number of carbon in commonly occuring compounds is four whereas that of silicon is six. This is due to

A

Availability of low lying d-orbitals in silicon

B

Large size of silicon

C

More electropositive nature of silicon

D

Both (2) & (3)

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To solve the question regarding the maximum coordination number of carbon and silicon, we can break it down into the following steps: ### Step 1: Understand the Group IV Elements Both carbon and silicon belong to Group IV of the periodic table. This means they have four valence electrons and can form four bonds in their most common oxidation states. **Hint:** Remember that elements in the same group have similar valence electron configurations. ### Step 2: Identify the Periods of Carbon and Silicon Carbon is in the second period, while silicon is in the third period of the periodic table. This distinction is crucial for understanding their coordination numbers. **Hint:** The period of an element indicates the number of electron shells it has. ### Step 3: Examine the Electron Configuration - **Carbon (C)**: The electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p². Carbon has no available d-orbitals because it is in the second period. - **Silicon (Si)**: The electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p². Silicon has empty d-orbitals available for bonding. **Hint:** Look at the electron configuration to determine the availability of orbitals for bonding. ### Step 4: Analyze Coordination Numbers - **Carbon**: Due to the absence of d-orbitals, carbon can only utilize its s and p orbitals for bonding, leading to a maximum coordination number of 4. - **Silicon**: The presence of empty d-orbitals allows silicon to expand its coordination number to 6, as it can accommodate more than four bonds. **Hint:** Coordination number is influenced by the types of orbitals available for bonding. ### Step 5: Conclusion The difference in the maximum coordination numbers of carbon and silicon is primarily due to the availability of empty d-orbitals in silicon, which allows it to form more bonds compared to carbon. **Final Answer:** The maximum coordination number of carbon is four, while that of silicon is six, due to the availability of empty d-orbitals in silicon.
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