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Question: Fluorine reacts with water to form: A) \({\text{HF}}\) and \({O_2}\) B) \({\text{HF}}\) and \({O...

Fluorine reacts with water to form:
A) HF{\text{HF}} and O2{O_2}
B) HF{\text{HF}} and O3{O_3}
C) HF{\text{HF}} and OF3O{F_3}
D) HF{\text{HF}}, O2{O_2} and O3{O_3}

Explanation

Solution

Fluorine is a halogen which can be reacted with water which gives molecules which have an oxygen element. One can predict the products based on the valency of the element that is present in the reactants. One should write the balanced reaction equation to give accurate products.

Complete step by step answer:

  1. First of all we will try to understand the reaction of fluorine with water. Fluorine is a halogen element that has a valency one.
  2. The valency one means fluorine will need only one electron from the hydrogen atom to fulfill its octet and stabilize itself. Therefore, the fluorine atom acts as a base here which receives a proton that is hydrogen from the water molecule and gets stabilized.
  3. Now that there is an oxygen element present which combines with itself to form oxygen gas and the ozone gas as products. The reaction will be as below,
    2F2(g)+2H2O(l)→O2(l)+4HF(aq)2{F_{2(g)}} + 2{H_2}{O_{(l)}} \to {O_2}_{(l)} + 4H{F_{(aq)}}
    In the above reaction when two moles of fluorine molecules which are in the gas phase are reacted with the two moles of water which are in the liquid phase it will form one molecule of oxygen molecules which is in the gas phase and four moles of hydrogen fluoride molecules which are in the aqueous phase.
  4. Now there will be a second reaction which will form ozone as a product,
    3F2(g)+3H2O(l)→O3(g)+6HF(aq)3{F_{2(g)}} + 3{H_2}{O_{(l)}} \to {O_{3(g)}} + 6H{F_{(aq)}}
    In the above reaction when three moles of fluorine molecules are reacted with three moles of water it will form ozone gas in the gaseous phase and six molecules of hydrogen fluoride as the product.
    Therefore, Fluorine reacts with water to form HF{\text{HF}}, O2{O_2} and O3{O_3} as products which show option D as the correct choice.

Note: In the above reaction both oxygen molecule and ozone molecule are formed but it is important to note that there is a difference in the use of reactants proportionality to form one mole of oxygen and ozone molecule.