Why is chlorine a diatomic molecule?

Chlorine exists as a diatomic molecule, Cl2 , in which two chlorine atoms share an electron to form a covalent bond and complete their octets. In order to become stable, it needs to complete its octet, i.e. have 8 electrons in its outermost shell.

Is chlorine a diatomic molecule?

Chlorine is a diatomic molecule and argon is a monatomic molecule.

Is chlorine naturally diatomic?

There are seven elements that naturally occur as homonuclear diatomic molecules in their gaseous states: hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

Why is chlorine a molecule?

Chlorine molecules are composed of two atoms (Cl2). Chlorine combines with almost all the elements, except for the lighter noble gases, to give chlorides; those of most metals are ionic crystals, whereas those of the semimetals and nonmetals are predominantly molecular.

Is HCl a diatomic molecule?

Hydrogen chloride, HCl, is a diatomic molecule consisting of a hydrogen atom H and a chlorine atom Cl connected by a covalent single bond. Since the chlorine atom is much more electronegative than the hydrogen atom, the covalent bond between the two atoms is quite polar.

What are not diatomic molecules?

Carbon does not exist as a diatomic molecule. The seven elements that do are hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and…

Is chlorine homogeneous or heterogeneous?

All matter can be classified as either a substance or mixture. A substance is an element or a compound. A mixture is heterogeneous or homogeneous….

Type of matter	Substance	Mixture
Chlorine	E
Water	C
Soil	M	HETEROGENEOUS
Sugar water	M	HOMOGENEOUS

Why are some molecules diatomic?

Diatomic molecules are molecules composed of only two atoms, of the same or different chemical elements. The prefix di- is of Greek origin, meaning “two”. If a diatomic molecule consists of two atoms of the same element, such as hydrogen (H2) or oxygen (O2), then it is said to be homonuclear.

Is chlorine more electronegative than sodium?

Verified answer. Chlorine is more electronegative than sodium because this follows the trend of the periodic table. The trend states that an element’s electronegativity increases from left to right of a period and bottom to up of a group. Since sodium and chlorine are from the same period, and chlorine is at the right of sodium, chlorine is more electronegative.

Is chlorine an ionic bond or a covalent bond?

Covalent bonding, in which atoms share electrons from their valence shells, allows the halogens to form covalent bonds. A chlorine atom is a halogen and it will covalently bond to another chlorine atom to form chlorine gas, #”Cl”_2″#.

What are the 7 diatomic elements?

Diatomic elements are pure elements that form molecules consisting of two atoms bonded together. There are seven diatomic elements: hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, iodine, bromine.

Is chlorine an atomic or molecular compound?

Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature.