Question

14 multiple choice 2 points a student claims that fluorine will form an ionic bond with sodium but a covalent bond with carbon. which reasoning best supports this claim using periodic trends? fluorines electronegativity is the highest on the periodic table, so it tends to gain electrons from metals but share electrons unequally with nonmetals. fluorines small atomic radius prevents it from bonding with carbon in any way. sodium and fluorine are both metals, so they share electrons equally. carbon and fluorine both have low electronegativity, so neither attracts electrons strongly. clear my selection

Explanation:

• Option 1: Fluorine has the highest electronegativity. Metals (like sodium) have low electronegativity. The large electronegativity difference (\(\Delta EN> 1.7\)) leads to electron - transfer (ionic bond). Non - metals (like carbon) have relatively higher electronegativity. The small electronegativity difference (\(\Delta EN<1.7\)) leads to electron - sharing (covalent bond).
• Option 2: Fluorine can bond with carbon. For example, in \(CF_4\), there are covalent bonds between \(C\) and \(F\). So, the statement that fluorine's small atomic radius prevents it from bonding with carbon is wrong.
• Option 3: Fluorine is a non - metal (\(F_2\) is a diatomic non - metal gas), not a metal. Sodium is a metal. So, the statement that sodium and fluorine are both metals is incorrect.
• Option 4: Fluorine has a high electronegativity (\(EN = 3.98\)). Carbon has an electronegativity of \(EN=2.55\). The statement that both have low electronegativity is wrong.

Answer:

Fluorine’s electronegativity is the highest on the periodic table, so it tends to gain electrons from metals but share electrons unequally with nonmetals.