How do the melting points of nitrogen group elements change from nitrogen to bismuth?

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The melting points of the nitrogen group elements do not follow a simple linear trend from nitrogen to bismuth. Instead, they exhibit a significant increase followed by a decrease as you move down the group.1

The melting points (°C) for the elements are as follows:

Nitrogen: −210
Phosphorus (white): 44.2
Arsenic: 817
Antimony: 630.63
Bismuth: 271.4

Nitrogen, existing as a gaseous diatomic molecule, has the lowest melting point in the group. The melting point rises sharply to a peak at arsenic before declining through antimony and bismuth. This variation reflects the complex changes in bonding and structure as the elements transition from nonmetals to metalloids and finally to metals within the group.123