Which of these compounds would you expect to have the highest melting point: C2H6,CL2,AsCL3, BaBr2? Explain your answer
To determine which compound has the highest melting point among C2H6, Cl2, AsCl3, and BaBr2, we need to consider the type of bonding present in each compound.
1. C2H6 (ethane): Ethane consists of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) atoms bonded together by covalent bonds. Covalent compounds generally have low melting points because the intermolecular forces holding the molecules together are relatively weak.
2. Cl2 (chlorine): Chlorine is a diatomic molecule held together by a covalent bond. Similar to C2H6, Cl2 also has relatively weak intermolecular forces, so it has a low melting point.
3. AsCl3 (arsenic trichloride): Arsenic trichloride contains one arsenic (As) atom and three chlorine (Cl) atoms. The bonding in AsCl3 is a combination of covalent and ionic bonds. The presence of ionic character increases the strength of the intermolecular forces, resulting in a higher melting point compared to C2H6 and Cl2.
4. BaBr2 (barium bromide): Barium bromide consists of one barium (Ba) cation and two bromide (Br) anions. It is an ionic compound. Ionic compounds generally have higher melting points than covalent compounds due to the strong electrostatic attractions between oppositely charged ions.
Based on the type of bonding and intermolecular forces present, we can conclude that BaBr2 (barium bromide) would have the highest melting point among the given compounds due to its ionic nature.