Are these cations, how do i know?
BF3, BH3, AlCl3, FeCl3
how do i recognize a cation?
Cations have a positive charge as in K^+, Na^+, Ca^+2, etc.
Anions have a negative charge as in SO4^-2, Cl^-, Br^-, etc.
What you have listed are neutral charge which means they are molecules.
Ok, thank you.
To determine if a compound is a cation, you need to understand the concept of cations in chemistry.
In chemistry, a cation is an ion with a positive charge. It is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. On the other hand, an anion is a negatively charged ion formed when an atom gains one or more electrons.
To identify cations in a compound, you need to evaluate the oxidation states of the atoms present. The atoms that are more likely to form cations are usually found on the left side of the periodic table, specifically the metals.
Now let's analyze each compound you provided:
1. BF3: This is not a cation. BF3 stands for boron trifluoride, and it is a neutral compound. The boron atom in BF3 gains an electron from each fluorine atom, resulting in a shared pair of electrons (covalent bond). Therefore, no cation is formed.
2. BH3: This is not a cation. BH3 stands for borane, and it is also a neutral compound. Similar to BF3, boron forms three covalent bonds with the hydrogen atoms, resulting in a neutral molecule.
3. AlCl3: This is not a cation. AlCl3 stands for aluminum chloride and is a neutral compound. Although aluminum is a metal, it forms a covalent bond with chlorine in this case, resulting in a neutral compound.
4. FeCl3: This is not a cation. FeCl3 stands for iron(III) chloride, and it is a compound containing a metal and non-metal. Iron in FeCl3 has a +3 oxidation state, but it forms an ionic compound with chloride ions, resulting in a neutral compound.
In summary, none of the compounds listed above are cations. It's important to assess the charge and oxidation states of the atoms involved in a compound to determine whether it is a cation or not.