Question
Alkali metals react very readily with halogens and form ionic compounds such as table salt (NaCl) and many others. Which of the following explanations most completely describes why these two families of elements reacts readily?
A
Alkali metals are negative and halogens are positive, so they attract each other.
B
The alkali metals have one valence electron, and the halogens are one short of an octet.
C
Alkali metals and halogens can very easily share eight valence electrons between them.
D
The halogens very easily donate valence electrons to the alkali metals so that all have eight.
A
Alkali metals are negative and halogens are positive, so they attract each other.
B
The alkali metals have one valence electron, and the halogens are one short of an octet.
C
Alkali metals and halogens can very easily share eight valence electrons between them.
D
The halogens very easily donate valence electrons to the alkali metals so that all have eight.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The explanation that most completely describes why alkali metals and halogens react readily is:
**B: The alkali metals have one valence electron, and the halogens are one short of an octet.**
This explanation highlights the key electronic configurations that drive the reaction: alkali metals, which have one electron in their outer shell, tend to lose that electron easily, while halogens, which have seven electrons in their outer shell, tend to gain one more to achieve a stable octet configuration. This transfer of electrons leads to the formation of ionic bonds between the two families of elements.
**B: The alkali metals have one valence electron, and the halogens are one short of an octet.**
This explanation highlights the key electronic configurations that drive the reaction: alkali metals, which have one electron in their outer shell, tend to lose that electron easily, while halogens, which have seven electrons in their outer shell, tend to gain one more to achieve a stable octet configuration. This transfer of electrons leads to the formation of ionic bonds between the two families of elements.