Which pair of elements will form an ionic bond?

Responses

carbon and chlorine
carbon and chlorine

carbon and oxygen
carbon and oxygen

barium and chlorine
barium and chlorine

nitrogen and oxygen
nitrogen and oxygen

barium and chlorine

Barium and chlorine will form an ionic bond.

To determine which pair of elements will form an ionic bond, you need to consider the electronegativity difference between the elements.

An ionic bond is formed when there is a significant difference in electronegativity between two elements. Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's tendency to attract and bond with electrons.

In general, metals have low electronegativity, while nonmetals have high electronegativity. When a metal and a nonmetal bond, the difference in electronegativity is usually large enough to form an ionic bond.

Let's evaluate the different pairs of elements:

1. Carbon and chlorine: Carbon is a nonmetal, and chlorine is also a nonmetal. They both have relatively high electronegativity values. Therefore, carbon and chlorine will not form an ionic bond.

2. Carbon and oxygen: Both carbon and oxygen are nonmetals with relatively high electronegativity values. Therefore, carbon and oxygen will not form an ionic bond.

3. Barium and chlorine: Barium is a metal, while chlorine is a nonmetal. Metals tend to have low electronegativity values, and nonmetals have high electronegativity values. Due to the significant difference in electronegativity between barium and chlorine, they are likely to form an ionic bond.

4. Nitrogen and oxygen: Both nitrogen and oxygen are nonmetals. Since they have similar electronegativities, the difference is not significant enough for them to form an ionic bond.

Based on this analysis, the pair of elements that will most likely form an ionic bond is barium and chlorine.