Nonmetals anions

Ions that carry a negative charge are collectively called anions. Nonmetals tend to gain electrons in reactions with metals to form anions. Remember, whether electrons are lost or gained by an atom, the name of the resulting ion is still associated with the name of the element from which it came. Again, only the electrons are involved, not the nucleus. 

Theoretical calculations of the band structure of crystals belong to solid state physics and are not discussed here. Quantitative ab initio prediction of a band gap is a problem of great complexity. However, empirical and semi-empirical estimates of Eg, using the concepts of structural chemistry, are sufficient for most purposes of physical chemistry and materials science. Indeed, since the valence band of a compound usually involves primary orbitals of the anions (nonmetal atoms), and the conduction band involves primary orbitals of the cations (metal atoms), the energy of the transition between the two (i.e.. Eg) must be related to some atomic properties. 

A large variety of salts of triflic acid formed both from metals and nonmetals are known Many of these salts are versatile reagents for organic synthesis because of such properties of the tnflate anion as very low nucleophilicity and low coordinating ability However, despite low nucleophilicity, the triflate anion can combine with carbocationic intermediates under appropriate conditions to form triflate esters [116, 117, II8. ... 

Nonmetal atoms form negative ions (anions—pronounced AN-i-ons) by gaining electrons. Consider, for example, what happens when atoms of the nonmetals chlorine and oxygen acquire electrons ... 

Metals form cations nonmetals form anions C, P, and the metalloids do not form monatomic ions. 

When a metal such as sodium (Na) or calcium (Ca) reacts with a nonmetal such as chlorine (Cl2), the product is ordinarily an ionic compound. The formula of that compound (e.g., NaCl, CaCl2) shows the simplest ratio between cation and anion (one Na+ ion for one Cl ion one Ca2+ ion for two Cl- ions). In that sense, the formulas of ionic compounds are simplest formulas. Notice that the symbol of the metal (Na, Ca) always appears first in the formula, followed by that of the nonmetal. 

Monatomic anions are named by adding the suffix -ide to the stem of the name of the nonmetal from which they are derived. 

When a nonmetal forms two oxoanions, the suffix -ate is used for the anion with the larger number of oxygen atoms. The suffix -ite is used for the anion containing fewer oxygen atoms. 

As pointed out in Chapter 2, elements close to a noble gas in the periodic table form ions that have the same number of electrons as the noble-gas atom. This means that these ions have noble-gas electron configurations. Thus the three elements preceding neon (N, O, and F) and the three elements following neon (Na, Mg, and Al) all form ions with the neon configuration, is22s22p6. The three nonmetal atoms achieve this structure by gaining electrons to form anions ... 

The differences in radii between atoms and ions can be explained quite simply. A cation is smaller than the corresponding metal atom because the excess of protons in the ion draws the outer electrons in closer to the nucleus. In contrast, an extra electron in an anion adds to the repulsion between outer electrons, making a negative ion larger than the corresponding nonmetal atom. 

Diagrams of four types of substances (see text discussion). X represents a nonmetal atom, — represents a covalent bond, M+ a cation, X- an anion, and e an electron. 

This half-reaction occurs when the anion cannot be oxidized. Examples include nitrate and sulfate anions, where the nonmetal present is already in its highest oxidation state (+5 for N, +6 for S). 

FIGURE C.7 The typical monatomic anions formed by a selection of elements in the periodic table. Notice how the charge on each ion depends on its group number. Only the nonmetals form monatomic anions under common conditions. 

Elements at the right of the p block have characteristically high electron affinities they tend to gain electrons to complete closed shells. Except for the metalloids tellurium and polonium, the members of Groups 16/VI and 17/VII are nonmetals (Fig. 1.62). They typically form molecular compounds with one another. They react with metals to form the anions in ionic compounds, and hence many of the minerals that surround us, such as limestone and granite, contain anions formed from non-metals, such as S2-, CO,2-, and S042-. Much of the metals industry is concerned with the problem of extracting metals from their combinations with nonmetals. 

FIGURE 2.3 When nonmetal atoms acquire electrons and form anions, they do so until they have reached the electron configuration of the next noble gas. 

To predict the electron configuration of a monatomic cation, remove outermost electrons in the order np, ns, and (n — l)d fora monatomic anion, add electrons until the next noble-gas configuration has been reached. The transfer of electrons results in the formation of an octet (or duplet) of electrons in the valence shell on each of the atoms metals achieve an octet (or duplet) by electron loss and nonmetals achieve it by electron gain. 

Hydrogen is unusual because it can form both a cation (1I+) and ail anion (11 ). Moreover, its intermediate electronegativity (2.2 on the Pauling scale) means that it can also form covalent bonds with all the nonmetals and metalloids. Because hydrogen forms compounds with so many elements (Table 14.2 also see Section 14.2), we shall meet more of its compounds when we study the other elements. 

B Aluminum forms an amphoteric oxide in which it has the oxidation state +3 therefore, aluminum is the element. 14.3B Hydrogen is a nonmetal and a diatomic gas at room temperature. It has an intermediate electronegativity (x — 2.2), so it forms covalent bonds with nonmetals and forms anions in combination with metals. In contrast, Group 1 elements are solid metals that have low electronegativities and form cations in combination with nonmetals. 

Although the nonmetals do not readily form cations, many of them combine with oxygen to form polyatomic oxoanions. These anions have various stoichiometries, but there are some common patterns. Two second-row elements form oxoanions with three oxygen atoms carbon (four valence electrons) forms carbonate, C03, and nitrogen (five valence electrons) forms nitrate, NO3. In the third row, the most stable oxoanions contain four oxygen atoms Si04 -, P04 -, S04, and CI04. ... 

A common feature of metal atoms is that they are generally larger in size in comparison with nonmetal atoms. A characteristic of nonmetals is that their atoms have the ability to attach electrons to themselves, leading to the formation of anions. The opposite is true for the metals and as told they alter to cationic forms when their removable electrons leave them. 

Cations are generally metallic radicals obtained by loss of electrons from metal atoms (M (metal) — M + (cation) + ne (electrons)), while anions are nonmetallic ions or radicals (a group of atoms of two or more elements) obtained by the acquisition of electrons by nonmetallic atoms (A (nonmetal) + me —> Am (anion). 

In aqueous geochemistry, the important distinguishing property of metals is that, in general, they have a positive oxidation state (donate electrons to form cations in solution), but nonmetals have a negative oxidation state (receive electrons to form anions in solution). In reality, there is no clear dividing line between metals and nonmetals. For example, arsenic, which is classified as a nonmetal, behaves like a metal in its commonest valence states and is commonly listed as such. Other nonmetals, such as selenium, behave more like nonmetals. 

Nonmetals generally form negatively charged anions. 

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