Which is more stable #cl-# or chlorine free redical ?

2 Answers
anor277
Jul 3, 2016

The neutral #Cl*# radical should be far more reactive than #Cl^-#, chloride anion.

Explanation:

The chlorine radical has 7 valence electrons, and in the very fact of making a #"2-centre, 2 electron bond"# it would generate another radical to continue the chain.

#Cl* + CH_4 rarr *CH_3 + H-Cl# etc.

Truong-Son N.
Jul 3, 2016

When we say "chlorine wants to gain one electron", we speak of the radical atom.

Chlorine as a free radical, #"Cl"cdot#, is the chlorine atom that we say has 7 valence electrons and wants its 8th to form an octet.

Chlorine as an anion, #"Cl"^(-)#, has already gained its 8th valence electron and has an argon-like electron configuration:

#1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6#

So, #"Cl"cdot#, chlorine radical, is less stable, and #"Cl"^(-)#, chlorine ion, is more stable.

Related questions
See all questions in Cis and Trans
Impact of this question
11865 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License