Phosphorus exists as P4 while nitrogen exists as a diatomic molecule (N2 ) with a triple bond between two N atoms.
Nitrogen has the ability to make numerous bonds.
Due to repulsion between non-bonded electrons in the inner core, phosphorus cannot form such bonds.
There is no such repulsion in nitrogen since it possesses only 1s electrons in its inner shell, making the overlap of p orbitals to create pi bonds simple.
Final Answer :
Because phosphorus can create three bonds, it can form a P4 white phosphorus tetrahedron. The most stable allotrope of phosphorus is red phosphorus, which is a cross-linked, polymeric chain of atoms. The atomic size of P is large, and it has a low inclination to form triple bonds.
