Question

In periodic table, the basic character of oxides
(a) Increases from left to right and decreases from top to bottom
(b) Decreases from right to left and increases from top to bottom
(c) Decreases from left to right and increases from top to bottom
(d) Decreases from left to right and increases from bottom to top

Answer 1

Hint: The general trend is that the electropositive character of the oxide’s central atom will determine whether the oxide will be acidic or basic. The more electropositive the central atom, the more basic is the oxide and the more electronegative the central atom is, the more acidic is the oxide.

Complete step by step answer:
As we know that electronegativity is the property of the element to attract electron pairs. Hence, the acidic character of the oxides “decreases down the group” because the electronegativity decreases down the group.
Similarly, when the metal is more electropositive, it has more basic oxide in nature. When the non-metal is more electronegative, it has more acidic oxide in nature. Electronegativity decreases down the group because the “distance between the nucleus and the valence shell electron increases.
Therefore, as per the discussion made above, we can say that the basic character decreases from left to right and increases from top to bottom.
Hence, the correct answer is option (c) decreases from left to right and increases from top to bottom.

Note: The above trend can also be made on the metallic character of the elements present in the periodic table. On moving along a period, the tendency to lose electrons decreases and thus, the metallic character decreases. While on moving down the group, basic character increases due to its increase in metallic character.