IV. Beryllium
A. There is generally not enough energy available in chemical reactions to
remove inner electrons, as noted by the significantly higher third ionization
energy.
B. The Be2+ion is a very stable species with a noble-gas configuration, so re-
moving the third outermost electron from beryllium requires significantly
greater energy.
V. Neon
A. Neon is an inert element with a full complement of 8 electrons in its valence
shell.
B. It is significantly more difficult to remove neon’s most loosely held electron
(I 1 ) than that of beryllium’s I 1. This trend is also noted when examining I 2 ’s
and I 3 ’s. Neon also has a greater nuclear charge than beryllium, which, if all
factors are held constant, would result in a smaller atomic radius.(c) Restatement: Cl 2 (g) passed into separate containers of Be and Ne. What compounds
formed? Explanation.
The only compound formed would be BeCl 2 .The Be atom readily loses 2 electrons
to form the stable Be2+ion. The third ionization energy is too high to form Be3+. The
electron affinity of neon is very low because it has a stable octet of electrons in its va-
lence shell and the ionization energies of neon are too high.
(d) Restatement: Given the first three ionization energies of element X what compounds
is it most likely to form with C1 2?
The first ionization energy (I 1 ) of element X is relatively low when compared to I 2
and I 3. This means that X is probably a member of the Group I alkali metals. Thus,
the formation of X2+and X3+would be difficult to achieve. Therefore, the formula is
most likely to beXCl.- Bromine reacts with a metal (M) as follows:
M(s) + Br 2 (g) →MBr 2 (s)Explain how the heat of the reaction is affected by
(a) The ionization energy for the metal M
(b) The size of the atomic radius for the ion M2+Answer
This question is probably best answered in the outline format, because you will try to show a
logical progression of concepts leading to two overall conclusions. Using the chart format
would become too complicated. This question should take about ten minutes to answer.
Ionic Bonding