What can be stated for a particular element if only the group number of 14 is known?

Question

A. The element has 14 protons
B. The element has 4 valence electrons
C. The element has 14 neutrons
D. The element has 4 electrons

Answer 1

If only the group number 14 is known for a particular element, the correct statement would be:

B. The element has 4 valence electrons.

Group 14 elements (also known as group IV or IVA) in the periodic table include carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, lead, and flerovium, and they all have four valence electrons. The number of protons and neutrons can vary among these elements, and the number of electrons is not directly inferred from the group number alone.

Answer 2

are you sure?

Answer 3

Yes, I am sure. In the periodic table, elements in group 14 do indeed have 4 valence electrons.

Here’s a brief explanation for the other options:

• A. The element has 14 protons: This is not necessarily true, as the group number does not directly correspond to the number of protons. For example, carbon (in group 14) has 6 protons.
• C. The element has 14 neutrons: This is also not true; the number of neutrons varies among the isotopes of the elements in group 14.
• D. The element has 4 electrons: This is misleading; while neutral atoms of group 14 elements have 4 valence electrons, they typically have more than 4 total electrons (the number of electrons equals the number of protons in a neutral atom).

Therefore, the correct assertion based on the group number 14 is that the element has 4 valence electrons.