Consider the oxides of group 14 elements SiO₂, GeO₂, SnO₂, PbO₂, CO and GeO. The amphoteric oxides are

Solution

Chemistry ma’am · 2 steps

Go down the group: the oxides turn from acidic to amphoteric as the element becomes more metallic.

1. The trend. Down group 14, metallic character increases from C to Pb. Oxides of non-metals are acidic, and oxides of the heavier metallic elements become amphoteric, reacting with both acids and bases.

   Oxide	Nature (NCERT)	Reason
   CO	neutral	reacts with neither acids nor bases
   SiO₂	acidic	Si is a non-metal; dissolves in NaOH to give silicate
   GeO₂	acidic	Ge is a metalloid; its dioxide behaves as acidic
   GeO	acidic	NCERT lists it as distinctly acidic
   SnO₂	amphoteric	dissolves in acids and in alkalis (giving stannate)
   PbO₂	amphoteric	dissolves in acids and in alkalis (giving plumbate)

2. So. Only SnO₂ and PbO₂ are amphoteric, which is option (c).

The idea to keep. In group 14, CO₂, SiO₂ and GeO₂ are acidic, SnO₂ and PbO₂ amphoteric. Among monoxides, CO is neutral, GeO acidic, SnO and PbO amphoteric.

Answer from the NTA final answer key. Solution by PrepWiser.