Arrange the following ionic compounds in order of increasing lattice energy (energy to break the solid into its gaseous ions) .

MgF₂, SrF₂, BeF₂

Question

Arrange the following ionic compounds in order of increasing lattice energy (energy to break the solid into its gaseous ions). MgF₂, SrF₂, BeF₂

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lattice energy increases with the charge of the ions and decreases with the size of the ions. Be^2+ is smaller and has the same charge as Mg^2+ and Sr^2+, but Sr^2+ is the largest ion among them. Therefore, BeF2 has the highest lattice energy due to the small size of Be^2+, and SrF2 has the lowest due to the larger size of Sr^2+.

Arrange the Following Ionic Compounds in Order of Increasing Lattice