[ELI5] Why does P4O10, As4O10 etc. exist but N2O5 doesn’t form N4O10?

Question

[ELI5] Why does P4O10, As4O10 etc. exist but N2O5 doesn’t form N4O10?

In: 2

Answer 1

Phosphorus and arsenic are large enough atoms that they can generate the elaborate d-block electron structures required to form more than four bonds.

If you look at the structure of phosphorus pentoxide the phosphorus atoms have three single bonds and a double bond for a total of *five* unique bonding orbitals.

Nitrogen cannot support this structure, it’s simply too small and has too few electrons to play with.