Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/paper-1/6/a/i/solution
Past exam of the chemistry course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 6 a i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
C-C is strongest; N-N is much weaker despite nitrogen's smaller size. Carbon's effective nuclear attraction and good overlap of compact second-row valence orbitals favor a strong C-C sigma bond. The larger, more electron-deficient boron centres give less effective B-B bonding in the stated molecule, despite its relatively high-s-character trigonal bonding.
In hydrazine, the two neighboring nitrogen lone pairs strongly repel one another, destabilizing the N-N bond. Bond strength therefore cannot be predicted from atomic size alone; lone-pair repulsion explains the especially low N-N value.
This illustrates bonding trends in second-period single bonds.
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