What is the primary reason for the high reactivity of halogens?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the primary reason for the high reactivity of halogens?
Low electronegativity
High ionization energy
Desire to gain one electron
Large atomic size
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the primary reason for the high reactivity of halogens?
Step 1: Understand what halogens are. Halogens are a group of elements in the periodic table, including fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.
Step 2: Learn about the electron structure of halogens. Halogens have seven electrons in their outermost shell.
Step 3: Know what a stable octet means. A stable octet refers to having eight electrons in the outer shell, which is a stable configuration for most elements.
Step 4: Recognize the halogens' desire for stability. Since halogens have seven electrons, they need one more electron to complete their outer shell and achieve a stable octet.
Step 5: Understand that this desire to gain one electron makes halogens very reactive. They will readily react with other elements to gain that one electron.
