Question

An element X of atomic number 12 combines with an element Y of atomic number 17 to form a compound XY₂. State the nature of chemical bond in XY₂ and show how the electron configurations of X and Y change in the formation of this compound.

Answer 1

The nature of the chemical bond in the compound XY₂ is an ionic bond, where element X changes its electron configuration from 2, 8, 2 to 2, 8 by losing two electrons, and element Y changes its configuration from 2, 8, 7 to 2, 8, 8 by gaining one electron per atom.