Question

If an element forms an acidic oxide, is it more likely to form an ionic or covalent hydride?

Short answer

An element that forms an acidic oxide is more likely to form a covalent hydride.

Step-by-step solution

Understand Acidic Oxides

Elements that form acidic oxides are typically nonmetals. These oxides react with water to form acids. For example, sulfur dioxide (\(SO_2\)) forms sulfurous acid when dissolved in water.

Nature of Hydrides of Nonmetals

Nonmetals generally form covalent hydrides. Covalent hydrides involve sharing of electrons between the nonmetal and hydrogen. For instance, water (\(H_2O\)) is a hydride formed by oxygen, and methane (\(CH_4\)) is a hydride formed by carbon, both through covalent bonds.

Connect Acidic Oxides and Hydride Type

Since elements that form acidic oxides are typically nonmetals, they form covalent hydrides. Nonmetals, known for their tendency to share electrons, align with the characteristics needed for covalent bonding.

Key concepts

Nonmetals

Nonmetals are a group of elements found primarily on the right side of the periodic table. They are distinct from metals in several ways, particularly in their physical and chemical properties. One of the key characteristics of nonmetals is their varied states at room temperature. They can be gases (like oxygen and nitrogen), liquids (like bromine), or solids (like carbon and phosphorus).

Nonmetals tend to have high ionization energies and electronegativities. This makes them excellent at forming compounds through sharing of electrons, known as covalent bonds. An important role of nonmetals is in the formation of acidic oxides.

• Acidic Oxides: These are oxides of nonmetals that form acids when they react with water. Examples include carbon dioxide (CO₂) and sulfur trioxide (SO₃).
• Versatility in Compounds: Nonmetals can react with each other to form covalent compounds such as water (H₂O) or ammonia (NH₃).
• Common Examples: Oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur are common nonmetals known for their widespread use and importance in chemical reactions and biological systems.

Covalent Hydrides

Covalent hydrides are compounds featuring hydrogen combined with nonmetals. In these molecules, hydrogen atoms share electrons with the nonmetal atoms, creating a stable electronic configuration through covalent bonds. This sharing of electrons is a hallmark of covalent hydrides.

These are typically found in the upper right portion of the periodic table among nonmetals, as these elements prefer to share rather than donate electrons. Examples of covalent hydrides include:

• Water ( H₂O): Formed by hydrogen and oxygen, is an essential compound for life.
• Methane ( CH₄): A simple organic compound made from carbon and hydrogen, significant in fuel chemistry.
• Ammonia ( NH₃): Used widely in fertilizers, formed by nitrogen and hydrogen.

Covalent hydrides illustrate the diversity of chemical bonds and molecules that can form between hydrogen and nonmetals.

They are crucial not only for their individual chemical properties but also for their roles in larger biological and chemical systems.

Covalent Bonding

Covalent bonding is a type of chemical bonding where atoms share pairs of electrons. This bond formation allows each atom to attain the electronic configuration of a noble gas, achieving stability.

Covalent bonds are formed between nonmetals, sharing electrons to fill their outer electron shells. This bond type is prevalent in a variety of molecules and is fundamental to organic chemistry. Some important aspects of covalent bonding include:

• Strength and Directionality: Covalent bonds are strong and directional, giving molecules distinct shapes and contributing to physical properties like melting and boiling points.
• Varieties: Depending on the number of shared electron pairs, covalent bonds can be single, double, or triple. For instance, methane ( CH₄) has single bonds, carbon dioxide ( CO₂) has double bonds, and nitrogen ( N₂) has a triple bond.
• Polarity: Some covalent bonds are polar if there is unequal sharing of electrons, such as in water ( H₂O), where oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen.

Understanding covalent bonding is key to grasping how nonmetals form stable and varied molecular structures, enabling complex chemical reactions and life processes.