The Student Room Group

Bromine at room temperature

Why is bromine a liquid at room temperate? In terms of intermolecular bonds? And how do the bonds arise?


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by danroden
Why is bromine a liquid at room temperate? In terms of intermolecular bonds? And how do the bonds arise?


Posted from TSR Mobile


Funny you should use the word 'arise' given it's past applications :P

I'm not a chemist so can't answer though, I'm afraid.
Reply 2
fluorine>iodine
gas>solid

the intermolecular forces responsible are van der vaals/london dispersion. Read here, but essentially at any moment in time there is a likelihood that there is more electrons on one "side" of the atom, so it will have a slight negative charge. This will repel electrons in neighboring molecules, and attract the molecule towards it.
Reply 3
Original post by Acruzen
fluorine>iodine
gas>solid

the intermolecular forces responsible are van der vaals/london dispersion. Read here, but essentially at any moment in time there is a likelihood that there is more electrons on one "side" of the atom, so it will have a slight negative charge. This will repel electrons in neighboring molecules, and attract the molecule towards it.


That's great. Thankyou!:smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Acruzen
fluorine>iodine
gas>solid

the intermolecular forces responsible are van der vaals/london dispersion. Read here, but essentially at any moment in time there is a likelihood that there is more electrons on one "side" of the atom, so it will have a slight negative charge. This will repel electrons in neighboring molecules, and attract the molecule towards it.



Original post by danroden
That's great. Thankyou!:smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile


Yes as said above it is due to Van-der-Waal forces. The bromine atoms are more 'polarisable', the term which appears in the formula predicting the strength of a VDW interaction.
Br is more polarisable than the lighter halogens as the electrons are less tightly bound, and are more easily moved by external forces. The analogy of the atom being soft and squishy as opposed to a hard sphere is often used to visualise this.

Quick Reply

Latest