In three to five sentences, predict the bonding activity between phosphorous and chlorine. Why do you think they would bond that way? Write it as if a 15 year old was writing it
So, like, phosphorous and chlorine are totally best friends when it comes to bonding. Phosphorous has three electrons in its outer shell, and chlorine has seven. But both of them wanna have a full outer shell, which is like 8 electrons. So, phosphorous is like, "Hey chlorine, you can have my three extra electrons!" And chlorine is like, "OMG, thanks phosphorous, now we're both happy with a full shell!" That's why they bond together to form a covalent compound called phosphorus trichloride. It's like a BFF bond where they both share and complete each other's energy levels.
Phosphorous and chlorine can bond together to form a molecule called phosphorus trichloride (PCl3). The phosphorus atom has five valence electrons, and each chlorine atom has seven valence electrons. When the phosphorus atom shares its three valence electrons with three chlorine atoms, it completes its octet (having eight electrons in its outermost shell) and the chlorine atoms each get eight electrons in their outer shell. This arrangement helps both phosphorus and chlorine achieve more stability, which is why they bond this way.
Phosphorus and chlorine can have a strong bond because they both need to gain or share electrons to become stable. Phosphorus has 5 valence electrons and wants to gain 3 more, while chlorine has 7 valence electrons and wants to gain only 1 more. So, one phosphorus atom can bond with three chlorine atoms by sharing their electrons, creating a bond called PCl3. This type of bonding helps them both achieve a stable electron configuration and become happy little atoms!
