Major type of attractive force for NF3?
dipole-dipole attraction
• ionic bond
• dispersion forces
• hydrogen bond
The major type of attractive force for NF3 is dipole-dipole attraction.
The major type of attractive force for NF3 is dipole-dipole attraction.
The major type of attractive force for NF3 is dipole-dipole attraction.
To understand why this is the case, let's break down each option one by one:
1. Dipole-dipole attraction: In NF3, the nitrogen and fluorine atoms have different electronegativities. Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons in a chemical bond. In NF3, nitrogen is less electronegative than fluorine. As a result, the fluorine atoms pull the shared electrons towards themselves, creating a partial negative charge, while the nitrogen atom carries a partial positive charge. This unequal distribution of charges results in a polar molecule, and the positive end of one molecule is attracted to the negative end of another molecule, creating dipole-dipole attractions.
2. Ionic bond: An ionic bond occurs when there is a complete transfer of electrons from one atom to another, resulting in the formation of ions with opposite charges that attract each other. In NF3, there is no extreme difference in electronegativity between nitrogen and fluorine that would lead to a complete transfer of electrons, so an ionic bond is not formed.
3. Dispersion forces: Dispersion forces, also known as London dispersion forces, are attractions between temporary dipoles that occur due to the random movement of electrons within atoms or molecules. While these forces do exist in NF3, they are relatively weaker compared to dipole-dipole attractions.
4. Hydrogen bond: Hydrogen bonding occurs when hydrogen is bonded to a highly electronegative element (such as fluorine, oxygen, or nitrogen). In NF3, there is no hydrogen atom directly bonded to nitrogen, so hydrogen bonding is not a major type of attractive force in this compound.
Therefore, the major type of attractive force in NF3 is dipole-dipole attraction.