Why Don't Chlorine and Bromine Bond Together?

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Chlorine and bromine are highly electronegative elements that typically do not lose electrons easily, making it challenging for them to form covalent compounds. Instead, they tend to share electrons, resulting in covalent bonds in various compounds like carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and bromine monochloride (BrCl). While they can form covalent compounds, the energy required for them to lose electrons is significant, which influences their bonding behavior.
Colin Cheng
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Why can't chlorine and bromine form a covalent compound?Colin
 
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They are highly electronegative. They can only accept electrons, but they can't lose them, as this would require a lot of energy. They have positive ionisation enthalpy value and negative electron gain enthalpy.
 
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But chlorine, bromine, fluorine... They form molecules which are covalent too... I mean like Cl2, Br2...Colin
 
Yes, they do form covalent compounds, for example in CCl4, there are four covalent bonds, and in CH2Br, CH3Br, etc. I forgot that it's hard for them to lose electrons, but they can share them, as in Carbon tetrachloride.
 
So it also requires a lot energy when they form CH3Br and CH2Br?Colin
 
Colin Cheng said:
Why can't chlorine and bromine form a covalent compound?

They do, it is called bromine monochloride.
 
Oh I see thanks!Colin
 
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