Arrange the bonds in increasing order of ionic character (least first).
C-C Na-O C-N O-H C-O
I II III IV V

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To determine the increasing order of ionic character, we need to look at the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms involved in each bond. The greater the difference in electronegativity, the more ionic character the bond will have.

The electronegativity values for the atoms involved in each bond are:
C = 2.5
Na = 0.9
O = 3.5
N = 3.0
H = 2.1

I. C-C: Nonpolar covalent bond, no ionic character.
II. Na-O: Large electronegativity difference (3.5-0.9=2.6), high ionic character.
III. C-N: Moderate electronegativity difference (3.0-2.5=0.5), more polar covalent bond, less ionic character than Na-O but more than the others.
IV. O-H: Moderate electronegativity difference (2.1-3.5=-1.4), polar covalent bond, less ionic character than Na-O and C-N but more than C-O.
V. C-O: Small electronegativity difference (3.5-2.5=1.0), polar covalent bond, least ionic character.

Therefore, the increasing order of ionic character is: I, III, V, IV, II.
The only choice that matches these orders is D.

Arrange the Bonds in Increasing Order of Ionic Character (Least