Questions: An ionic compound has the general form, XCl , Which option for X and y correctly completes the formula?

Solution Steps

The problem asks us to determine the correct formula for an ionic compound of the form \( \text{XCl}_y \), where X is a given element and \( y \) is the subscript that balances the charges in the compound. We need to choose the correct element and subscript from the given options.

The options provided for the element X and the subscript \( y \) are:

1. Aluminum, 1
2. Cesium, 2
3. Beryllium, 2
4. Boron, 4

To determine the correct formula, we need to consider the charges of the ions involved:

• Aluminum (Al) typically forms a \( \text{Al}^{3+} \) ion.
• Cesium (Cs) typically forms a \( \text{Cs}^{+} \) ion.
• Beryllium (Be) typically forms a \( \text{Be}^{2+} \) ion.
• Boron (B) typically forms a \( \text{B}^{3+} \) ion.

Chlorine (Cl) forms a \( \text{Cl}^{-} \) ion.

For each option, we balance the charges to form a neutral compound:

1. Aluminum, 1: \( \text{AlCl}_3 \) (since \( \text{Al}^{3+} \) requires three \( \text{Cl}^{-} \) ions to balance the charge)
2. Cesium, 2: \( \text{CsCl} \) (since \( \text{Cs}^{+} \) requires one \( \text{Cl}^{-} \) ion to balance the charge)
3. Beryllium, 2: \( \text{BeCl}_2 \) (since \( \text{Be}^{2+} \) requires two \( \text{Cl}^{-} \) ions to balance the charge)
4. Boron, 4: \( \text{BCl}_3 \) (since \( \text{B}^{3+} \) requires three \( \text{Cl}^{-} \) ions to balance the charge)

Final Answer