In which ONE of the following compounds would the bonding be expected to have the highest percentage of ionic character? A) LiBr B) CsCl C) BaBr2 D) NaCl E) KI

B) CsCl

Explanation:

The ionic character is formed between two kinds of atoms having a large electronegativity differences e.g metals (like those in groups IA and IIA) and nonmetals (like those in groups VIA and VIIA). The formation of an ionic character involves a transfer of electrons from the less electronegative atom(metal) to the more electronegative atom (non-metal) such that the two kinds of atoms now have completely filled outer shell like the noble gases.

In CsCl, electrons are being transferred from Cs⁺ to Cl⁻ . As a result of this transfer , the atom of the metal becomes positively charged (cation) while that of the non-metal becomes negatively charged (anion).

The highest percentage of ionic character will occur as a result of smaller negatively charged (anion) and larger positively charged (cation). From the options given, CsCl have the highest percentage of ionic character.