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Chlorine, Cl₂, is a simple molecular, covalent substance - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 5
Chlorine, Cl₂, is a simple molecular, covalent substance. The atoms in a molecule of chlorine are held together by a covalent bond. (i) Explain what is meant by th... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Chlorine, Cl₂, is a simple molecular, covalent substance - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Explain what is meant by the term covalent bond.
Answer
A covalent bond is formed when two atoms share a pair of electrons. This sharing allows both atoms to achieve a more stable electron configuration. Unlike ionic bonds, where electrons are transferred from one atom to another, covalent bonding involves the mutual attraction of the shared electrons to the nuclei of both atoms.
Step 2
Draw the dot and cross diagram to show the bonding in a molecule of phosphorus trichloride, PCl₃. Show outer electrons only.
Answer
In the dot and cross diagram for phosphorus trichloride (PCl₃), one phosphorus atom is represented with five outer electrons (dots), and three chlorine atoms each have seven outer electrons (crosses). The diagram shows three pairs of shared electrons between the phosphorus and each chlorine atom:
Cl•
x
Cl• P • Cl
x
Cl•
Here, the dots represent the outer electrons from phosphorus, and the crosses represent the outer electrons from chlorine.
Step 3