Chemistry chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chemistry chemistry - Essay Example (Frederick, 1979, P.67) Intramolecular forces are much stronger than intermolecular forces hence the generally higher Melting and Boiling points associated with substances that have intramolecular forces. Aluminium, being a metal would be expected to form an ionic bond with Chlorine, which is a gaseous non-metal. This is not the case however due to the very small size of the Aluminium atom, which makes the Aluminium nucleus to exert very high attractive forces on its outer electrons, making it difficult for the atom to loose electrons in order to form ionic bonds. In Aluminium Chloride, the Aluminium atom bonds to three chlorine atoms covalently by having a shared electron with each one of the chlorine atoms. (Frederick, 1979, P.73) Aluminium chloride exists as a dimer (Al2Cl6). The bonding between the two molecules is co-ordinate, using lone pairs on the Chlorine atoms. (Frederick, 1979, P.75) Magnesium has the electronic structu