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Magazine Chapter 10: Problem 82
The following compounds in order of increasing acidity: \(\mathrm{BH}_{3}, \mathrm{BCl}_{3}, \mathrm{BF}_{3}\).
Short Answer
Expert verified
The order of increasing acidity is: \( BH_3 < BCl_3 < BF_3 \).
Step by step solution
01
Understand Acidity
The acidity of a compound is related to its ability to accept electrons. For these boron compounds, electron-accepting ability will be influenced by the electronegativity of the atom attached to boron.
02
Analyze Electronegativity
Consider the electronegativity of hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine:
- Hydrogen is the least electronegative.
- Chlorine is more electronegative than hydrogen.
- Fluorine is the most electronegative element.
03
Predict Electron-Withdrawing Effect
More electronegative atoms will pull electrons towards themselves more strongly, enhancing the electron deficiency of boron. Thus, the electron-withdrawing ability increases from \( ext{H}\) to \( ext{Cl}\) to \( ext{F}\).
04
Rank the Boron Compounds
As the electron deficiency of boron increases, so does its ability to accept electrons (and thus its acidity). Therefore, order of increasing acidity is \( BH_3 < BCl_3 < BF_3 \).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Electronegativity
Electronegativity is a fundamental concept in chemistry that describes how strongly an atom attracts electrons. This property is crucial for determining the behavior of atoms in molecules, and ultimately, their chemical bonding.
- In terms of electronegativity, the higher the value, the stronger the pull an atom has on electrons.
- Fluorine, with the highest electronegativity, can pull electrons more effectively towards itself compared to any other element.
- In this context, examining the electronegativity of atoms bonded to boron (B), we see how it influences the properties of the entire compound.
Electron-Withdrawing Effect
The electron-withdrawing effect refers to the ability of atoms or groups to pull electron density away from other parts of a molecule. It is closely tied to electronegativity.
- Electronegative atoms are typically strong electron-withdrawing groups because they tend to attract shared electrons towards themselves.
- Boron compounds are particularly interesting because when an element bonded to boron is highly electronegative, it increases the electron deficiency at the boron center.
- This deficiency can make boron compounds more acidic because it enhances their ability to accept additional electrons.
Boron Compounds
Boron compounds, often featuring a central boron atom bonded to varying elements, play a unique role in chemistry due to boron's electron-deficient nature.
- Boron has only three electrons in its outer shell, making it prone to forming compounds where it acts as an electron acceptor.
- In compounds like borane (\( BH_3 \)) and its derivatives (\( BCl_3, BF_3 \)), the bonding elements can influence boron's electron-accepting abilities.
- This electron deficiency renders boron compounds quite reactive and capable of participating in a variety of chemical reactions.
Ranking Acidity
Ranking acidity involves comparing how readily different compounds can accept electrons. This ability to accept electrons defines a compound's acidity, especially for molecules like boron compounds which are electron-deficient.
- For the given boron compounds (\( BH_3 \), \( BCl_3 \), \( BF_3 \)), their acidity can be deduced from their ability to attract electrons, significantly influenced by the atoms' electronegativity and their electron-withdrawing effects.
- As determined through analysis, fluorine's high electronegativity offers the most substantial electron-withdrawing effect, thereby increasing the electron deficiency at the boron center in \( BF_3 \) the most.
- This increased deficiency escalates \( BF_3 \)'s capability to accept electrons, making it the most acidic among the three.
