In three to five sentences, predict the bonding activity between phosphorous and chlorine. Why do you think they would bond that way? (4 points)

Answer 1

Phosphorus and chlorine would likely form a covalent bond rather than an ionic bond. This is because both elements are nonmetals and have similar electronegativities, leading to a more equal sharing of electrons. Phosphorus has five valence electrons and chlorine has seven, so they can share electrons through single or multiple covalent bonds to reach a stable electron configuration. The resulting compound would likely be phosphorus trichloride (PCl3) or phosphorus pentachloride (PCl5).