Question

What type of oxides are formed when nonmetals combine with oxygen?

Answer 1

Here, in the case of the type of the oxides of non-metals, they mean either acidic or basic or neutral. The oxides of non-metals give acids upon their reaction with bases like water.

Complete step by step solution:
- Let’s get some information about non-metals.
- In our periodic table, we can divide the elements in certain categories depending upon their character as metals, non-metals, metalloids and noble gases. Generally, non-metals are the compounds which have an incomplete p-orbital. That means that the non-metals are the p-block elements.
- Non-metals combine with oxygen to give their oxides. All the non-metals except fluorine undergo oxidation in order to form oxides. Oxides are nothing but the compounds with oxygen in which oxygen is in oxidation state of (-2).
- We know that there are many non-metals which can combine with oxygen like sulphur (S), nitrogen (N), selenium (Se), phosphorus (P), etc..
- The reaction of combination of sulphur with oxygen is given below.
${S_{(s)}} + {O_{2(g)}} \to S{O_2}$
We can see that sulphur undergoes oxidation in order to give sulphur dioxide. Now, the nature of sulphur dioxide is acidic. We know that it reacts with water to give sulphuric acid.
- Nitrogen can also combine with oxygen to give nitrogen oxides. The reaction can be given as
${N_{2(g)}} + {O_{2(g)}} \to 2NO \to N{O_2}$
This oxide is also acidic in nature as it gives nitric acid upon reaction with water.
- Thus, we can conclude that the oxides of all non-metals are acidic in nature.

Note: Remember that the oxides of metals are basic in nature. The oxides of all the non-metals are acidic in nature. However, metals like aluminum form oxides which are amphoteric i.e. they can act as both acidic as well as basic.