The substances below are main group compounds that follow the hard-soft acid-base principles quite reliably:
I. Al(CH₃) ₃
II. MgCl₂
III. AlCl₃
IV. LiCl
V. LiCH₃
VI. Mg(CH₃) ₂
Referring to these compounds, which of the (unbalanced) equations below is expected to proceed?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hard-soft acid-base (HSAB) principle suggests that hard acids prefer to bind to hard bases, and soft acids prefer to bind to soft bases. In option C, LiCH3 (a soft base) reacts with MgCl2 (a hard acid), favoring the formation of LiCl (involving the hard acid Li+ and hard base Cl-) and Mg(CH3)2 (involving the soft acid Mg2+ and soft base CH3-), which is consistent with the HSAB principle.

The Substances Below Are Main Group Compounds That Follow the Hard-Soft