Question

Assertion (A): Covalency of chlorine is 1.

Reason (R): Covalency is equal to the number of electrons contributed by an atom.

Options

• If both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

• If both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

• If A is true, but R is false.

• If both A and R are false.

Answer 1

If both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

Explanation:

The assertion is true because chlorine commonly shares one electron to complete its octet, showing a ground-state covalency of 1. The reason is also true because covalency is defined by how many electrons an atom contributes for sharing. However, R is not the correct explanation for A because chlorine's specific covalency of 1 is due to its 3s²3p⁵ valence configuration having exactly one unpaired electron, and it can also exhibit higher covalencies like 3, 5, and 7 using empty d-orbitals.