Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Inorganic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: kayvanfar67 on March 09, 2005, 10:13:49 AM
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here is my question:
we know that (s) and (o2) can make a covalent bond.
now please tell me why (s) and (o) can not do this?
???
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What do you mean? There are examples of S-O bonds which are covalent. S can't bond to O2 though because O2 already has a full octet.
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i mean that S and O2 can make a molecules with covalent bond. but S and O cannot make a molecules with covalent bond. so why? ???
you are right my question was not right. i'm sorry for this. :-[
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Are you asking why sulphur reacts with the diatomic oxygen molecule to form covalent product, but not react with oxygen radical? If this is what you are asking, I can tell you is that forming the O=O bond is more thermodynamically favoured than S-O or S=O bonds because being small and the same size, the degree of overlap of the O valence orbitals would be greater, and thus stronger bond, and hence more exothermic than forming the sulphur-oxygen bonds. Hence, the oxygen radicals are more likely to react with each other before reacting with sulphur.