Final answer:
Cesium (Cs) and chlorine (Cl) react to form the ionic compound cesium chloride (CsCl), where Cs loses one electron to become Cs+ and Cl gains an electron to become Cl-, resulting in a simple cubic crystal structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on their locations in the periodic table, cesium (Cs) and chlorine (Cl) react to form an ionic compound. Cesium, as an alkali metal, readily loses one electron to form Cs+, while chlorine, a halogen, tends to gain one electron to form Cl-. This exchange leads to the formation of cesium chloride, CsCl, an ionic compound with a simple cubic structure. The cesium ions and chloride ions each have a 1:1 stoichiometry in this compound, which means for each cesium ion there is a corresponding chloride ion, giving CsCl its characteristic properties different from the individual elements.
When Cs reacts with Cl2, the cesium atom loses an electron to become Cs+, and each chlorine atom in the Cl2 molecule gains an electron to become Cl-. This type of chemical reaction is known as a redox reaction, where oxidation (loss of electrons) and reduction (gain of electrons) occur simultaneously. The Cs+ and Cl- ions then attract each other due to opposite charges, forming an energetically stable ionic solid, cesium chloride.