Asked by Kara

classify the compound as having ionic, polar covalent, or pure covalent bonds.

Sb2P5

I know that a metal and nonmetal form an ionic bond, and two nonmetals form covalent bonds. The trouble I am having is that Sb is a metalliod and when it forms with a non-metal, what kind of bond is formed?
Answered by DrBob222
Sb has an electronegativity of 2.05 and that of P is 2.19. The arbitrary rule is that a difference of about 1.9 or so makes it ionic; less than that is covalent or polar covalent. The two elements are so close together I think you have a good case for almost pure covalent.
There are no AI answers yet. The ability to request AI answers is coming soon!