More coavalent:AlCl3 or BeCl2?
To determine which compound, AlCl3 or BeCl2, is more covalent, you can compare the electronegativity values of the elements involved.
Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract shared electrons in a covalent bond. Generally, if there is a higher difference in electronegativity between two atoms, the bond is more polarized, and the compound is more ionic. On the other hand, if the electronegativity difference is smaller, the bond is more covalent.
BeCl2 features the elements beryllium (Be) and chlorine (Cl), which have electronegativity values of 1.57 and 3.16, respectively. The electronegativity difference between Be and Cl is 3.16 - 1.57 = 1.59.
AlCl3 includes the elements aluminum (Al) and chlorine (Cl), with electronegativity values of 1.61 and 3.16, respectively. The electronegativity difference between Al and Cl is 3.16 - 1.61 = 1.55.
Comparing these values, we see that the electronegativity difference in AlCl3 is smaller than that in BeCl2. Therefore, AlCl3 is considered to have a more covalent bond than BeCl2.