Question

these three figures show that in a game of tug - of - war, the knot in the rope is being pulled toward opposite sides by the players. the tug - of - war game shown in the figures represents the way that atoms are in a tug - of - war for bonding electrons.
use the table to answer the question.

calculate the electronegativity difference and determine the type of bond that nacl forms. explain which tug - of - war game figure best represents this type of bond and why.

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate electronegativity difference

The formula for electronegativity difference ($\Delta EN$) is $\Delta EN=\vert EN_{Cl}-EN_{Na}\vert$. Given $EN_{Cl} = 3.0$ and $EN_{Na}=0.9$, we have $\Delta EN=\vert3.0 - 0.9\vert=2.1$.

Step2: Determine bond type

According to the bond - type criteria: if $\Delta EN>1.7$, the bond is ionic. Since $2.1>1.7$, the bond in $NaCl$ is ionic. In a tug - of - war analogy for ionic bonds, one atom (the more electronegative one, $Cl$) completely “pulls” the bonding electrons from the other atom ($Na$). This is similar to a situation where one team in a tug - of - war is so strong that it pulls the rope (electrons) completely to its side.

Answer:

The electronegativity difference $\Delta EN = 2.1$. Since $\Delta EN>1.7$, the bond in $NaCl$ is ionic. In the tug - of - war analogy, the figure where one side completely pulls the rope (representing one atom taking the electrons completely, which is characteristic of ionic bonding where $Cl$ takes the electron from $Na$) best represents this bond type.