Determine crystalline solid type, bonding force, and rank by melting point for Os,...

Check the final answer first, then review the worked steps.

Problem

Determine crystalline solid type, bonding force, and rank by melting point for Os, HCl, and N2.

Answer

Os: Metallic solid, metallic bonds, 1 HCl: Molecular solid, dipole-dipole forces, 2 N2: Molecular solid, London dispersion forces, 3

Step-by-step solution

  1. Identify the type of crystalline solid and bonding force for Osmium (Os): Osmium is a transition metal. Metals form metallic solids where metal atoms are held together by metallic bonds (a sea of delocalized electrons). Therefore, Os forms a metallic solid with metallic bonds.
  1. Identify the type of crystalline solid and bonding force for Hydrogen Chloride (HCl): HCl is a polar molecule. In the solid state, polar molecules form molecular solids held together by dipole-dipole intermolecular forces. Therefore, HCl forms a molecular solid with dipole-dipole forces.
  1. Identify the type of crystalline solid and bonding force for Nitrogen (N2): N2 is a nonpolar diatomic molecule. In the solid state, nonpolar molecules form molecular solids held together by London dispersion forces (a type of van der Waals force). Therefore, N2 forms a molecular solid with London dispersion forces.

4. Determine the relative melting points:
- Metallic solids, especially those of transition metals like Osmium, generally have very high melting points due to the strong metallic bonding.
- Molecular solids have relatively low melting points. The strength of intermolecular forces determines the melting point within molecular solids. Dipole-dipole forces are generally stronger than London dispersion forces.
- Therefore, the order of melting points from highest to lowest is expected to be: Osmium (metallic) > Hydrogen Chloride (dipole-dipole) > Nitrogen (London dispersion).

5. Rank the solids in order of decreasing melting point:
- The solid with the highest melting point is Osmium, so it gets rank "1".
- The solid with the next highest melting point is Hydrogen Chloride, so it gets rank "2".
- The solid with the lowest melting point is Nitrogen, so it gets rank "3".