JEE Main · 2026 · 28 Jan 2026 · Shift 2 · Classification of Elements and Periodicity

Consider the elements

N, P, O, S, Cl

and F . The number of valence electrons present in the elements with most and least metallic character from the above list is respectively.

Answer: (C)

Solution

Metallic character increases down a group and decreases from left to right across a period. Among

N, P, O, S, Cl

and

F

, phosphorus lies farthest to the left and far enough down to be the most metallic, and its valence shell

3 s^{2} 3 p^{3}

holds five electrons. Fluorine is the most electronegative and least metallic of the set, with

2 s^{2} 2 p^{5}

and seven valence electrons. The valence-electron counts of the most and least metallic elements are five and seven respectively.

JEE Main · 2026 · 28 Jan 2026 · Shift 2 · Single correct option