In the ionic compound AlCl3, which statement is FALSE?
A. Chlorine is not able to accept any electrons because it already has 8 electrons
B. Each Chlorine atom will accept one electron from the Aluminum atom
C. The Aluminum atom will transfer a total of 3 electrons (1 electron to each of the Chlorine atoms)
D. Aluminum and Chlorine are both able to achieve a full octet by transferring electrons
(I believe it is A?)
Yes, you are correct. Statement A is false. Chlorine is capable of accepting one electron to complete its octet.
Yes, you are correct. Statement A is false. In the ionic compound AlCl3, chlorine is not able to accept any electrons because it already has 7 electrons in its outermost shell. Chlorine, like other halogens, strives to gain one electron to achieve a full octet. Therefore, each chlorine atom will accept one electron from the aluminum atom in the compound. So, statement B is true. The aluminum atom will transfer a total of 3 electrons, one to each of the chlorine atoms, to achieve a full octet. Therefore, statement C is true. Additionally, statement D is true, as both aluminum and chlorine can achieve a full octet by transferring electrons.
To determine which statement is false in the context of ionic compound AlCl3, let's analyze each statement:
A. "Chlorine is not able to accept any electrons because it already has 8 electrons."
This statement is true. Chlorine belongs to Group 7A in the periodic table and has seven valence electrons. It can accept one electron to complete its octet.
B. "Each Chlorine atom will accept one electron from the Aluminum atom."
This statement is true. In an ionic compound, the more electronegative element (Chlorine) tends to gain electrons, while the less electronegative element (Aluminum) tends to lose electrons. In this case, each Chlorine atom will accept one electron from the Aluminum atom to achieve a stable electron configuration.
C. "The Aluminum atom will transfer a total of 3 electrons (1 electron to each of the Chlorine atoms)."
This statement is true. Aluminum has three valence electrons, and in order to achieve a stable electron configuration, it will transfer all three electrons to three Chlorine atoms.
D. "Aluminum and Chlorine are both able to achieve a full octet by transferring electrons."
This statement is false. Aluminum has three valence electrons and loses all three to become Al3+, achieving a stable electron configuration similar to noble gases. Chlorine, on the other hand, has seven valence electrons and gains one electron from Aluminum, resulting in Cl- with a complete octet.
Therefore, the false statement is D. Aluminum achieves a full octet by losing electrons, while Chlorine achieves a full octet by gaining electrons.