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Which is more stable #cl-# or chlorine free redical ?

Answer 1

The neutral #Cl*# radical should be far more reactive than #Cl^-#, chloride anion.

The chlorine radical has 7 valence electrons, and in the very fact of making a #"2-centre, 2 electron bond"# it would generate another radical to continue the chain.

#Cl* + CH_4 rarr *CH_3 + H-Cl# etc.

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Answer 2

Ellie Adams

We are referring to the radical atom when we state that "chlorine wants to gain one electron".

Chlorine as a free radical, #"Cl"cdot#, is the chlorine atom that we say has 7 valence electrons and wants its 8th to form an octet.

Chlorine as an anion, #"Cl"^(-)#, has already gained its 8th valence electron and has an argon-like electron configuration:

#1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6#

So, #"Cl"cdot#, chlorine radical, is less stable, and #"Cl"^(-)#, chlorine ion, is more stable.

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Answer 3

Ellie Adams

Chlorine free radical (Cl•) is more stable than Cl- (chloride ion).

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.