2D.3

[305086803]

2D.3 States: Which of these compounds has bonds that are primarily ionic?
A.) BBr3
B.) BaBr2
C.) BeBr2

Why is C not an ionic bond? Isn't Be a metal?

Thanks!

[Kavya Immadisetty 2B]

If you find the difference in electronegativity between Be and Br, it's 1.39. Generally, if the difference is less than about 1.5, it will show covalent character.

[KDang_1D]

How would we know this without a table with values? I'm pretty sure they've said we shouldn't have to remember specific values.

[105335337]

We would not need to memorize this. You find out the ionic character through the electronegativity difference. The difference between c is 1.39, and typically, anything equal to or less than 1.5 is determined to have more covalent character.