what has the strongest bond?
a) C2H6, C2H4, C2H2
b) Cl2, O2, N2
c) H2, Cl2
To determine which set of molecules has the strongest bond, we need to consider the type of bond they form. The strength of a bond depends on the type and number of chemical bonds involved.
a) C2H6, C2H4, C2H2:
These molecules consist of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms and are known as hydrocarbons. The type of bond in hydrocarbons is a covalent bond, where electrons are shared between atoms.
C2H6 (ethylene) has single covalent bonds between carbon and hydrogen atoms.
C2H4 (ethene) has a double covalent bond between carbon atoms and single covalent bonds between carbon and hydrogen atoms.
C2H2 (ethyne) has a triple covalent bond between carbon atoms and single covalent bonds between carbon and hydrogen atoms.
The strength of a covalent bond typically increases as the number of bonds between atoms increases. Thus, C2H2 (ethyne) has the strongest bond due to the presence of the triple covalent bond.
b) Cl2, O2, N2:
These molecules consist of identical atoms, and the bonds they form are also covalent bonds.
Cl2 (chlorine) has a single covalent bond between the two chlorine atoms.
O2 (oxygen) has a double covalent bond between the two oxygen atoms.
N2 (nitrogen) also has a triple covalent bond between the two nitrogen atoms.
Similar to the previous set, the strength of a covalent bond increases with the number of bonds. Therefore, N2 (nitrogen) has the strongest bond due to the presence of the triple covalent bond.
c) H2, Cl2:
H2 (hydrogen) and Cl2 (chlorine) are both diatomic molecules, meaning they exist naturally as pairs of identical atoms.
H2 (hydrogen) has a single covalent bond between the two hydrogen atoms.
Cl2 (chlorine) also has a single covalent bond between the two chlorine atoms.
In this case, both H2 and Cl2 have only one covalent bond between the atoms, making the bond strengths similar. However, Cl2 has a larger atomic number than H2, and therefore, its bond is stronger. Thus, Cl2 (chlorine) has the stronger bond between the two options in this set.
In summary, the molecule with the strongest bond is C2H2 (ethyne) from set a), N2 (nitrogen) from set b), and Cl2 (chlorine) from set c).