Ch.8 - Basic Concepts of Chemical Bonding

Problem 46a

Chapter 8, Problem 46a

The bromine monofluoride molecule, BrF, has a bond length of 1.76 Å and a dipole moment of 1.29 D. a. Which atom of the molecule is expected to have a negative charge?

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Identify the atoms involved in the BrF molecule: bromine (Br) and fluorine (F).

Recall that electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a bond.

Compare the electronegativities of bromine and fluorine. Fluorine is more electronegative than bromine.

Understand that the more electronegative atom will attract the shared electrons more strongly, resulting in a partial negative charge.

Conclude that the fluorine atom is expected to have a negative charge due to its higher electronegativity compared to bromine.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electronegativity

Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract and hold onto electrons in a chemical bond. In the case of bromine monofluoride (BrF), bromine is more electronegative than fluorine, meaning it will attract the shared electrons more strongly, leading to a partial negative charge on bromine.

Dipole Moment

The dipole moment is a vector quantity that represents the separation of positive and negative charges in a molecule. It is calculated as the product of the charge and the distance between the charges. In BrF, the dipole moment indicates that there is an uneven distribution of electron density, confirming that one atom carries a partial negative charge.

Bond Length

Bond length is the distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms. In BrF, the bond length of 1.76 Å reflects the size and strength of the bond between bromine and fluorine. Understanding bond length helps in visualizing the spatial arrangement of atoms and the influence of atomic size and electronegativity on molecular properties.

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Textbook Question

Arrange the bonds in each of the following sets in order of increasing polarity: (c) C—S, B—F, N—O.

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Textbook Question

(a) From the data in Table 8.2, calculate the effective charges on the H atom of the HBr molecule in units of the electronic charge, e.

(b) If you were to put HBr under very high pressure, so its bond length decreased significantly, would its dipole moment increase, decrease, or stay the same, if you assume that the effective charges on the atoms do not change?

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Textbook Question

In the following pairs of binary compounds, determine which one is a molecular substance and which one is an ionic substance. Use the appropriate naming convention (for ionic or molecular substances) to assign a name to each compound: (a) SiF₄ and LaF₃ (for ionic or molecular substances) to assign a name to each compound: (b) FeCl₂ and ReCl₆(c) PbCl₄ and RbCl.