N2H4

[ALee_1J]

Why is the preferred Lewis Structure for N₂H₄:

instead of a structure with a triple bond in between the two nitrogens?

[Adalia 3E]

I asked my TA about this, she said that Nitrogen is an element that almost never breaks the octet rule in situations like these, and if there were a triple bond not all the hydrogens would be able to bond.

[Kushaal Madadi 2F]

Nitrogen cannot have an expanded octet.

[Brandon Carris]

Yea nitrogen in most cases likes to have 5 electrons bound

[Neel Sharma 3F]

Nitrogen does not have access to d or f orbitals and as a result must have an octet. Oxygen and other period 2 elements are similar in this way. Hope this helps!

[Melanie Krahn 1C]

Nitrogen does not have an expanded octet because it is in the second period and there is no such thing as a 2d orbital for the second-period elements.

[Madeline Marron 1I]

Nitrogen can't have more than an octet

[705383815]

I believe the reason involves the total formal charges of all of the atoms in the compound.