Question

The most common charge associated with scandium in its compounds is \(3+.\) Indicate the chemical formulas you would expect for compounds formed between scandium and (a) iodine, \((\mathbf{b})\) sulfur, \((\mathbf{c})\) nitrogen.

Short answer

The chemical formulas for the compounds formed between scandium and the given elements are: (a) Scandium and iodine: \(ScI_3\) (b) Scandium and sulfur: \(Sc_2S_3\) (c) Scandium and nitrogen: \(ScN\)

Step-by-step solution

Identify the charges of each element

Scandium (Sc) has a common charge of +3 since it's mentioned in the problem statement. In order to form compounds, scandium needs to bond with elements that have negative charges. (a) Iodine (I) is in the halogen group in the periodic table, which tends to form single-atom anions with a -1 charge. (b) Sulfur (S) is in the chalcogen group and usually forms ions with a -2 charge. (c) Nitrogen (N) is in the nitrogen group and commonly forms ions with a -3 charge.

Determine the chemical formulas for each compound

Now that we know the charges of each element, we can determine the chemical formulas for the compounds formed between scandium and each of the mentioned elements. (a) Scandium (Sc) has a +3 charge and Iodine (I) has a -1 charge. Therefore, we will need 3 iodine atoms for each scandium atom, to balance out the charges. Chemical formula: \(ScI_3\) (b) Scandium (Sc) has a +3 charge and Sulfur (S) has a -2 charge. We need one scandium atom and one sulfur atom to have a common multiple of their charges, which is 6. We need 2 scandium atoms (+3 charge each) and 3 sulfur atoms (-2 charge each), to balance the charges. Chemical formula: \(Sc_2S_3\) (c) Scandium (Sc) has a +3 charge and Nitrogen (N) has a -3 charge. In this case, the charges are equal and opposite, so one scandium atom and one nitrogen atom will balance the charges. Chemical formula: \(ScN\)

List the chemical formulas of the compounds

Now that we have determined the chemical formulas for each compound, we can list them: (a) Compound formed between scandium and iodine: \(ScI_3\) (b) Compound formed between scandium and sulfur: \(Sc_2S_3\) (c) Compound formed between scandium and nitrogen: \(ScN\)

Key concepts

Scandium Compounds

When discussing scandium compounds, it's important to identify the traits of scandium and how it interacts with nonmetals to form compounds. Scandium, with the elemental symbol Sc, is a transition metal known to form a common ionic charge of +3. This trivalent state allows scandium to bond with other elements, particularly nonmetals, to create compounds with various properties.

Through this interaction with elements like iodine, sulfur, and nitrogen, scandium forms compounds by donating three electrons, one for each positive charge it holds. The process of reaching a stable electron configuration is what drives the formation of these compounds. When scandium binds with iodine (a halogen), sulfur (a chalcogen), or nitrogen (a pnictogen), the resulting compounds have distinct chemical formulas based on the charges of the ions involved.

• With iodine: Scandium forms ScI3, as iodine carries a charge of -1 and three iodine ions are necessary to balance the +3 charge of scandium.
• With sulfur: The compound Sc2S3 forms because sulfur has a charge of -2, and the stoichiometry of 2 scandium ions to 3 sulfur ions balances the overall charge.
• With nitrogen: An even charge balance is achieved with one nitrogen ion for every scandium ion, resulting in ScN.

The compounds of scandium exhibit the classic characteristic of ionic bonding, where a metal transfers electrons to a nonmetal, creating a compound through electrostatic attraction between ions of opposite charge.

Ionic Charges

Understanding ionic charges is fundamental in predicting the formulas for compounds. An ionic charge is an electrical charge that an atom acquires when it loses or gains electrons to attain a stable electron configuration, usually mimicking the nearest noble gas. Metals, such as scandium, tend to lose electrons and become positively charged cations, while nonmetals generally gain electrons to become negatively charged anions. In ionic compounds, the total positive charge must balance the total negative charge.

Take scandium (Sc) for example; it commonly forms a +3 charge by losing three electrons. On the other hand, iodine (I), being a halogen, often forms an anion with a -1 charge, while sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) form anions with -2 and -3 charges respectively. The crux of compound formation is to combine these ions in ratios where their charges cancel out, resulting in a neutral compound. For students grappling with these concepts, a helpful tip is to remember that the name of an ionic compound doesn't include the ionic charge numbers, but the formula must always reflect the balance of charges.

Compound Formation

Compound formation is a chemical process where two or more elements combine to form a more complex substance. In the context of ionic compounds, this formation is guided by the principle of charge neutrality, where the total number of positive charges must equal the total number of negative charges.

Diving into the specifics, let's consider the elements scandium, iodine, sulfur, and nitrogen. For scandium to bind with these elements and form neutral compounds such as ScI3, Sc2S3, and ScN, we apply the simple cross-multiplication method to balance charges. This involves using the absolute value of each ion's charge as the subscript for the other ion in the chemical formula. In educational terms, it's akin to finding the lowest common multiple of the charges. The resulting compounds showcase the beauty of chemical diversity stemming from a straightforward rule: the necessity of charge balance combined with the vast array of elemental charges leads to countless combinations and functionalities in chemistry.To simplify the practical application for students, remember that the subscript in a chemical formula is the number of atoms of each element present and not necessarily indicative of the ionic charge; however, they are related through the need to balance the charges within the compound.