I am comparing the ions BeS and BeO.
BeS...
d=229 pm
Force of attraction = -6.856x10^29 J/m
BeO...
d=199 pm
Force of attraction = -9.078x10^29 J/m
I used Coulumb's to find this. Can you explain this?... the reasoning why BeS has a greater attraction?
No, I can't. I would think the reverse. S is larger, the ions are farther apart, the attraction would be less for BeS than for BeO by my reasoning.
Certainly! Coulomb's law is a fundamental principle in physics that describes the interaction between charged particles. It states that the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically, Coulomb's law can be expressed as:
F = k(q1 * q2) / r^2
Where F is the force of attraction or repulsion, q1 and q2 are the charges of the particles, r is the distance between the particles, and k is the electrostatic constant.
In your case, you are comparing the ions BeS and BeO. Both of these ions contain the same central atom, beryllium (Be), but with different surrounding atoms, sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) respectively. The charges of both BeS and BeO ions can be determined by considering the valence electrons and electronegativities of the elements involved.
Now, let's focus on the force of attraction between the ions. The magnitude of the force depends on the charges and the distance between the ions.
Given that the force of attraction between BeS is -6.856x10^29 J/m and for BeO is -9.078x10^29 J/m, we can conclude that the force between the BeO ions is greater than the force between the BeS ions.
The reason for this difference lies in the charges of the ions. The charge of an ion can be determined by comparing the tendency of an atom to lose or gain electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration. In general, elements tend to lose or gain electrons to achieve the electron configuration of a noble gas.
In the case of beryllium, it tends to lose its two valence electrons to achieve a stable configuration, resulting in a 2+ charge. On the other hand, sulfur tends to gain two electrons to achieve a stable configuration, resulting in a 2- charge. Oxygen, however, tends to gain two electrons, resulting in a 2- charge as well.
Now, let's consider the distances. The force of attraction is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the ions. BeO has a smaller distance (199 pm) compared to BeS (229 pm). Since the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, a smaller distance will result in a greater force of attraction.
Therefore, BeO has a greater force of attraction because of its stronger 2+ and 2- charges and the smaller distance between the ions compared to BeS.