Question

Which bond has the largest degree of polarity?
a) ON-O
b) C-0
c) Rb - 0
d) os-o

Answer 1

The Rb-O bond would have the largest degree of polarity due to the substantial difference in electronegativity, indicating an ionic bond.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which bond has the largest degree of polarity, we must consider the difference in electronegativity (EN) between the bonded atoms. A larger difference in EN typically indicates a more polar bond.

• The C-O bond is definitely polar covalent, as oxygen is more electronegative (EN = 3.5) than carbon (EN = 2.5), giving a difference of 1.0.
• The ON-O bond is likely a typo and not a valid comparison.
• The Rb-O bond is likely ionic, as rubidium (Rb) is a metal with low electronegativity and oxygen is a non-metal with high electronegativity, resulting in a large difference in EN.
• The Os-O bond is not clearly defined, as 'Os' is typically the symbol for the element osmium, and it's unclear what the second ‘O’ stands for in this context.

Given the options provided, the Rb-O bond would have the largest degree of polarity because of the significant EN difference between a metal (Rb) and a non-metal (O), which usually results in an ionic bond.