A fluorine atom has seven valence electrons. Do you think it is more likely for a fluorine atom to lose seven electrons or gain one electron to obtain an octet? Please explain
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
A fluorine atom is more likely to gain one electron to achieve an octet rather than losing seven electrons. This is due to the atom’s electronic configuration and the tendency of atoms to achieve a stable electron configuration, often following the octet rule, where atoms aim to have eight electrons in their outermost shell.
Fluorine has an atomic number of 9, meaning it has 9 electrons in total. Its electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁵. The fluorine atom’s outermost shell, the second energy level, holds 7 electrons, leaving it with just one electron short of completing its octet. Fluorine’s 2p orbital is very close to being full, so it is highly electronegative, meaning it strongly attracts electrons from other atoms to complete its octet.
If fluorine were to lose seven electrons, it would be left with just two electrons, which would place it in a highly unstable configuration. This would create a highly positively charged ion, F⁺, which would be energetically unfavorable because it would require significant energy to remove seven electrons.
On the other hand, gaining one electron would complete fluorine’s octet, forming a stable fluoride ion, F⁻. This process is energetically favorable because the added electron fills the 2p orbital, making fluorine more stable. The gained electron also gives the fluorine atom a negative charge, but this configuration is much more stable than losing electrons. The energy required to gain one electron (the electron affinity of fluorine) is relatively low compared to the energy needed to remove seven electrons.
In conclusion, fluorine is far more likely to gain one electron than lose seven because it leads to a much more stable, lower-energy configuration.
Let me create a visual representation of this process!
Here is a diagram illustrating the process of a fluorine atom gaining one electron to achieve an octet. It shows the transition from a neutral fluorine atom (with its electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p⁵) to the fluoride ion (F⁻) after gaining one electron to complete the octet (1s² 2s² 2p⁶). This change demonstrates how fluorine reaches a stable, lower-energy state by acquiring the extra electron.
