Question

Among P₂O₅, As₂O₃, Sb₂O₃ and Bi₂O₃, the most acidic oxide is

(a) P₂O₅

(b) As₂O₃

(c) Sb₂O₃

(d) Bi₂O₃

Answer 1

Answer is : (a) P₂O₅

P₂O₅, As₂O₃ are acidic oxides, Sb₂O₃ is an amphoteric while Bi₂O₃ is basic oxide but P₂O₅ is most acidic among them all. This is because down the group, metallic character increases and metal oxides are more basic, thus the basicity of metallic oxides also increases.