Why doesn't chlorine make an ionic compound with bromine?

Answer 1

because both these elements are in the same group (7) of the Periodic Table and so each have 7 electrons in their outer electron shells.

An ionic compound is formed when one atom which preferentially looses electrons from its outer shell bonds through electrostatic attraction to another atom which preferentially gains electrons.

Some atoms will loose electrons in these sorts of chemical reactions because they have only a few electrons in their outer shell and it is energetically easiest for them to donate them in a reaction leaving the atom with a full outer shell, for example sodium has only one and looses it easily in reactions forming a positive sodium ion. Some atoms will accept extra electrons to form a complete outer shell, chlorine for example will accept one to become a negative chlorine ion. These two equal but oppositely charged ions will strongly attract each other.

Elements with 7 electrons each could only chemically bond by sharing an electron pair, the 7th from each atom combining to make a pair that both could share. This is called covalent bonding. This is what happens when chlorine and the other halogen elements form molecules, they go round in pairs Cl2, Br2, I2 etc bonded through the shared electron pair. A more interesting question is, why doesn't chlorine form a covalent compound with bromine?

Answer 2

Chlorine doesn't make an ionic bond with bromine because they both either need 1 electron or they both only take one electron.

To make an ionic bond both of the aoms tend to have eight valence electrons after the ionic bond has occured.

Both chlorine and bromine are trying to get 1 electron, neither of them will give 1 up easily (Electronegativity difference 2.8-2.7 is too small).

The only possible way of bonding is single covalentbonding: Br-Cl, in the same way Cl-Cl are bonded together.

Answer 3

An ionic bond is formed between two atoms only when the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms is over 2. The electronegativity difference between flourine and chlorine is about 0.5 and hence they will not form ionic bond. Instead they bind to each other covalently.

Answer 4

Chlorine and bromine are both nonmetals with similar electronegativities, so they tend to share electrons rather than transfer them, forming a covalent compound. This sharing of electrons allows them to achieve a stable electron configuration.

Answer 5

Because Chlorine has less electron shells in atom than Bromine

Answer 6

why does chlorine react with aqueous potassium bromide but bromide doesn't react with aqueous potassium chloride