A simple question about Covalent Bond and Ionic Bond

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of covalent and ionic bonds, specifically focusing on the strength of bonds in cuprous chloride (CuCl) versus cupric chloride (CuCl2). Participants explore the implications of variable valencies and the concept of bond strength in relation to the charges involved.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the bond strength may differ due to the magnetic charge associated with the ions in CuCl and CuCl2.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty, proposing that the Cu-Cl bond is identical regardless of the number of bonds, implying that the energy required to break any Cu-Cl bond remains constant.
  • A later reply corrects the terminology from "magnetic charge" to "electric charge," indicating a potential misunderstanding in the initial framing of the question.
  • One participant provides data on bond dissociation energies for various compounds, suggesting a trend where higher oxidation states correlate with easier removal of halides in transition metals.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether one bond is stronger than the other, and multiple competing views regarding bond strength and terminology remain present throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes unresolved assumptions about the nature of bond strength and the definitions of magnetic versus electric charge, which may affect interpretations of the claims made.

JasonRox
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I started reading a book about the basic foundations of chemistry, and I came up across a simple question.

To answer this question you should understand that there are variable valencies, which is what this question consists of.

If you look at the cuprous chloride compound CuCl, copper has a valency of one.

Chlorine will "take" an electron from the Copper atom, which forms a covalent bond. When taking the electron the overall magnetic charge of the chlorine atom is negative (let's say -1), and Copper is now overall positive (+1).

If we look at a slightly different compound cupric chloride CuCl(2), copper has a valency of 2.

Chlorine 1 and 2 will now take each an electron, so you have two with an overall charge of -1. Copper now gives two away, on its own, and now has an overall charge of +2.

My question is...

Is one bond stronger than the other because of magnetic charge?

In other words, would Chlorine be easier to isolate from the CuCl compound than the CuCl(2) compound, or molecule?

Thanks, for any answers.
 
Last edited:
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Anyone?

This is a simple question in which I am pondering.
 
I'm not sure because I'm no expert but I think that the Cu-Cl bond is identical regardless of how many bonds there are. So it'd require just as much energy to break any Cu-Cl bond.
 
chemistry always contains of mystery...
 
JasonRox said:
I started reading a book about the basic foundations of chemistry, and I came up across a simple question.

To answer this question you should understand that there are variable valencies, which is what this question consists of.

If you look at the cuprous chloride compound CuCl, copper has a valency of one.

Chlorine will "take" an electron from the Copper atom, which forms a covalent bond. When taking the electron the overall magnetic charge of the chlorine atom is negative (let's say -1), and Copper is now overall positive (+1).

You are referring to an electric charge... not magnetic.

If we look at a slightly different compound cupric chloride CuCl(2), copper has a valency of 2.

Chlorine 1 and 2 will now take each an electron, so you have two with an overall charge of -1. Copper now gives two away, on its own, and now has an overall charge of +2.

My question is...

Is one bond stronger than the other because of magnetic (electric) charge?

In other words, would Chlorine be easier to isolate from the CuCl compound than the CuCl(2) compound, or molecule?

Thanks, for any answers.

Let's look at trends in the transition metal halide series


Bond Bond dissociation energy (kJmol-1)
Ti-Cl (TiCl4) 429.3
Ti-Cl (TiCl3) 460.2
Ti-Cl (TiCl2) 504.6
Fe-F (FeF3) ~456
Fe-F (FeF2) 481
Fe-Cl (FeCl3) 341.4
Fe-Cl (FeCl2) 400.0
Fe-Br (FeBr3) 291.2
Fe-Br (FeBr2) 339.7
Fe-I (FeI3) 233.5
Fe-I (FeI2) 279.1
Cu-Cl (CuCl2) 293.7
Cu-Cl (CuCl) 360.7
Cu-Br (CuBr2) ~259
Cu-Br (CuBr) 330.1
Cu-I (CuI2) ~192
Cu-I (CuI) ~142

Clearly the trend is that the higher the oxidation state, the easier it is to remove the first halide in transition metals.
 
Necrophilia :smile:
 
A thread dig from 2004? That was long before I was even a member here
 
Opps! I keep forgetting to check that...
 

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