Ionic bonds Original Scenario-Based Download PDF

Questions

1. 1.

   During a deep-space expedition, an automated probe synthesizes a refractory heat-shield tile by reacting vaporized calcium with fluorine gas, yielding a brittle, high-melting-point white crystalline solid. Chemical analysis confirms that the resulting substance consists of calcium and fluorine species arranged in a fixed ratio throughout an extended solid network. Which microscopic description accurately explains the formation and stability of the ionic bonds in this material?

   • A) Calcium and fluorine atoms share pairs of valence electrons equally, producing discrete neutral molecules bound only by weak intermolecular dispersion forces.
   • B) Fluorine atoms donate their valence electrons to calcium atoms, generating negatively charged metal cations that are trapped within neutral nonmetal atomic clusters.
   • C) Valence electrons from both elements delocalize into a shared mobile electron sea around stationary nuclei, creating a malleable matrix that readily deforms under stress.
   • D) Each calcium atom transfers two valence electrons to fluorine atoms to form oppositely charged ions, which organize into a rigid three-dimensional lattice stabilized by electrostatic attraction.