Chapter 8, Problem 43RQ

Nitrogen and arsenic are in the same group in the periodic table. Arsenic forms both ${\text{AsCl}}_{\text{3}}{\text{ and AsC1}}_{\text{5}}$, but with chlorine, nitrogen only forms ${\text{NC1}}_{\text{3}}$. On the basis of the electronic structures of N and As, explain why this is so.