Compare Nitrogen vs Boron
Comparing Nitrogen (N) and Boron (B). Atomic numbers 7 and 5 with atomic masses 14.006 u and 10.806 u, classified as nonmetal and metalloid. Below: a side-by-side comparison of their physical, atomic, electron-configuration and historical properties, including density, melting and boiling points, ionization energies, oxidation states and discovery history.
Periodic properties of the elements
| Nitrogen | Boron | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | N | B |
| Atomic number | 7 | 5 |
| Group | 15 | 13 |
| Period | 2 | 2 |
| Block | p | p |
| Element category | Nonmetal | Metalloid |
Physical properties
| Nitrogen | Boron | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Gas | Solid |
| Density | 1.251 g/cm3 | 2.08 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 14.0064 u | 10.806 u |
| Melting point | 63.15 K -210 °C -346 °F | 2349 K 2075.85 °C 3768.53 °F |
| Boiling point | 77.355 K -195.795 °C -320.431 °F | 4200 K 3926.85 °C 7100.33 °F |
Atomic properties
| Nitrogen | Boron | |
|---|---|---|
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 3.04 | 2.04 |
| Electron affinity | -6.8 kJ/mol | 26.989 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5 (a strongly acidic oxide) | −5, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3 (a mildly acidic oxide) |
| Ionization energies |
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Electron configuration
| Nitrogen | Boron | |
|---|---|---|
| Shorthand configuration | [He] 2s2 2p3 | [He] 2s2 2p1 |
| Full configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p3 | 1s2 2s2 2p1 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 5 | 2, 3 |
History
| Nitrogen | Boron | |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Daniel Rutherford (1772) | Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, Louis Jacques Thénard (1808) |
| First isolation | Daniel Rutherford (1772) | Humphry Davy (1808) |
| Named by | Jean-Antoine Chaptal (1790) |