Question
Question: Justify, \({F_2}\) is highly reactive than \(C{l_2}\)....
Justify,
F2 is highly reactive than Cl2.
Solution
The fluorine is the chemical element present in the top of group 7 (halogen group) in the periodic table and chlorine is present below the fluorine. Both of them form a diatomic molecule F2 and Cl2. The reactivity of the halogens element depends on various factors like electronegativity, dissociation energy, electron affinity.
Complete step by step answer:
Halogens are the group 7 element which are non-metal and highly reactive elements. The halogens are present in diatomic form. The halogens element includes fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine.
The fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9. The fluorine is denoted by the symbol F. The fluorine forms a diatomic chemical compound F2. The oxidation state of fluorine is always -1.
The chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17. The chlorine is denoted by the symbol Cl. The chlorine forms a diatomic chemical compound Cl2. The oxidation state of chlorine varies from -1, +1, 3, 5 and 7.
The fluorine is more reactive than chlorine because of the low dissociation energy of fluorine molecules and high hydration energy of fluorine ions. The electronegative of the element decreases down in the group which is defined as the measure of the ability of an element to attract a bonding pair of electrons. The fluorine is more electronegative as compared to chlorine.
Note:
Fluorine reacts with all the elements except the elements like helium, neon and argon. The electron affinity in the halogens decreases down in the group. Don’t get confused as the electron affinity of the fluorine is lower than chlorine because of the small size of fluorine as compared to chlorine. The electron affinity is defined as the change in energy of the neutral atom when an electron is added to the atom to form a negative charge ion.