What is the effect of increasing the size of the halogen atom on the bond streng
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the effect of increasing the size of the halogen atom on the bond strength of haloalkanes? (2021)
Increases bond strength
Decreases bond strength
No effect
Increases reactivity
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the effect of increasing the size of the halogen atom on the bond strength of haloalkanes? (2021)
Step 1: Understand what haloalkanes are. They are compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and halogen atoms (like fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine).
Step 2: Identify the halogen atoms. The halogens are a group of elements in the periodic table: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), and iodine (I).
Step 3: Recognize that halogen atoms get larger as you go down the group in the periodic table. For example, fluorine is smaller than chlorine, which is smaller than bromine, which is smaller than iodine.
Step 4: Understand that bond length is the distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms. As the size of the halogen atom increases, the bond length between the carbon and the halogen also increases.
Step 5: Realize that longer bonds are generally weaker. This means that as the bond length increases due to the larger halogen atom, the bond strength decreases.
Step 6: Conclude that increasing the size of the halogen atom leads to a longer bond length and therefore a weaker bond in haloalkanes.
