Question

Is Cl₂ A Single Covalent Bond?

Answer 1

Chemical bond: The force of attraction that holds different components like atoms, ions, etc. together in different chemical compounds is called a chemical bond.

Covalent bond: A chemical bond in which two atoms share an electron pair is called a covalent bond. Each combining atom contributes at least one electron to the shared pair.

Chlorine: Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17.

• Halogen is the second lightest element and appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table.
• Chlorine is a yellowish-green gas at room temperature.
• Cl is a Chlorine atom with 17 electrons which have 2,8,7 as electronic configuration.
• Therefore, chlorine has a vacancy for 1 electron.
• The chlorine molecule (Cl₂) forms a covalent bond between 2 chlorine atoms because the two shared electrons fill the outer ‘p’ orbitals of each of the chlorine atoms.
• When two chlorine atoms share one electron, it is known as a single covalent bond.
• Hence, Cl₂ has a Single Covalent Bond.