Question

What is the electron configuration of a chlorine ion in a compound of BeCl2

Answer 1

The electron configuration of a chlorine ion in a compound of BeCl2 is

1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶

Step-by-step explanation:

Beryllium chloride (BeCl2) is an ionic compound where Be is an alkaline earth metal (group 2) and Cl is a halogen atom (group 17).

Alkaline earth metals have a charge of +2 while halogens exhibit a -1 charge. Hence in BeCl2 each Be atom exists as Be2+ cation and Cl exists as Cl- anion.

The atomic number of Cl = 17. The valence electron configuration for the neutral atom is:

Cl(Z=17) = 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁵

The chloride ion has an addition electron, therefore

Cl⁻(Z = 17+1 = 18) = 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶

Answer 2

The electronic configuration of a chloride ion in a compound of BeCl2 is

2.8.8

This is because chlorine atom which electronic configuration 2.8.7 gain one electron form Be to form chloride ion with 2.8.8 electronic configuration. BeCl2 is an ionic bond which is formed by a metal and a non metal.metal (Be)loses electron and become positively charged while non metal (Cl2) gain electron and become negative charged.