Animated Solution for Chemistry - Periodicity in Properties: The acidic, basic and amphoteric oxides, respectively, are

Welcome to a fascinating journey across the periodic table! Today, we are going to decode the chemical nature of oxides. As we move from left to right across the periodic table, the chemical character of elements shifts dramatically from highly metallic to highly non-metallic. Naturally, the chemical behavior of the oxides they form undergoes a similar transformation.

Basic and Acidic Oxides

Let's start on the extreme left. Here, we find the highly electropositive alkali and alkaline earth metals. These metals have a strong tendency to lose electrons. When they react with oxygen, they form ionic oxides like Lithium oxide (${\text{Li}}_2\text{O}$) or Sodium oxide (${\text{Na}}_2\text{O}$).

Why do we call them basic? Because when you dissolve these metallic oxides in water, they react to form strong bases (hydroxides). For instance:

Now, let's jump to the extreme right of the periodic table. Here reside the highly electronegative non-metals, such as Nitrogen, Sulphur, and Chlorine. Their oxides, such as ${\text{N}}_2{\text{O}}_3$ or ${\text{SO}}_3$, are covalent in nature. When these non-metallic oxides dissolve in water, they yield acids. Therefore, they are classified as acidic oxides. For example:

Amphoteric Oxides

But what happens in the middle ground? Elements like Aluminium and Zinc sit on the borderline between metals and non-metals. Their oxides, like Aluminium oxide (${\text{Al}}_2{\text{O}}_3$), are amphoteric.

This means they possess a dual personality—they can react with both acids and bases to form salt and water! If you treat ${\text{Al}}_2{\text{O}}_3$ with a strong acid like $\text{HCl}$, it acts as a base. If you treat it with a strong base like $\text{NaOH}$, it acts as an acid.

The question asks us to identify the exact sequence: Acidic, Basic, and Amphoteric oxides from the given options.

Let's evaluate the choices systematically. We need a non-metal oxide first, followed by a metal oxide, and finally an amphoteric oxide.

Looking closely at Option (b): 1. ${\text{N}}_2{\text{O}}_3$: Nitrogen is a non-metal, making its oxide acidic. 2. ${\text{Li}}_2\text{O}$: Lithium is an alkali metal, making its oxide basic. 3. ${\text{Al}}_2{\text{O}}_3$: Aluminium is a borderline metal, making its oxide amphoteric.

This sequence matches our requirement perfectly! If we check the other options, they either have the wrong order or lack an amphoteric oxide entirely (like Option a, where ${\text{P}}_4{\text{O}}_{10}$ is acidic).

Golden Rule to Remember: Metallic oxides are generally basic, non-metallic oxides are acidic, and borderline oxides (like ${\text{Al}}_2{\text{O}}_3$, $\text{ZnO}$, $\text{PbO}$) are amphoteric. Keep this trend in mind, and you will effortlessly conquer such questions!