ICSE Class 7 Answered
What is a Diatom ?why chlorine is a diatom while it has17 electron and only one electron is needed for its stability then also we write it as Cl2
Asked by Madhuri | 25 Oct, 2014, 09:39: PM
Expert Answer
Diatomic molecules are molecules composed of two atoms, of either the same or different chemical elements.
Non-metallic elements have 4, 5, 6 or 7 electrons in their outermost shell.
Chlorine is a non-metal with atomic number 17 and electronic configuration 2 , 8, 7.
It requires one electron to complete its octet configuration.
So two chlorine atoms approach each other and share their one electron each and an electron pair is shared between the two chlorine atoms.
This results in the formation of a chlorine molecule.
A bond is formed by sharing of electrons.
This type of a bond is called Covalent bond.
Answered by Arvind Diwale | 26 Oct, 2014, 01:02: PM
