Question

Beryllium shows some covalent characteristics in some of its compounds, unlike the other alkaline earth halides. Give a possible explanation for this phenomenon.

Short answer

Beryllium shows covalent characteristic due to its relatively small size and large electronegativity which prevents it from easily giving electrons to form ionic bonds, but instead sharing valence electrons to form covalent bonds.

Step-by-step solution

Concept Introduction

A covalent connection is created with the electrons shared pair are distributed equally among the two.

Explanation for the phenomena

Compared to other alkaline earth metals, beryllium shows some covalent characteristics in some of its compounds because it is relatively small in size, and has large electronegativity.

Unlike other similar metals, beryllium's high negativity allows it not to easily give up electrons to non-metals. This characteristic allows beryllium to exhibit covalent characters in its bonds. Rather than easily giving up electrons to form ionic bonds, it shares valence electrons, thus creating covalent bonds with some of its compounds.

Therefore, Beryllium has a covalent property as a result of its tiny size and high electronegativity, which prohibits it from easily providing electrons to make ionic bonds and instead forces it to share valence electrons to form covalent bonds.