Calculate the electrostatic potential energy in kJ/mol of the ionic bond between an aluminum ion (67.5 pm radius)and a nitride ion (182 pm radius)in AlN.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The electrostatic potential energy of an ionic bond is given by the equation:

E = (k*q1*q2)/d

where k is Coulomb's constant (8.987E9 N*m^2/C^2), q1 and q2 are the charges on the ions, and d is the distance between their centers.

First, we need to find the charges on the ions. Aluminum loses three electrons to become a 3+ ion, while nitrogen gains three electrons to become a 3- ion. Therefore, the charges on the ions are:

Aluminum ion: +3 charge 
Nitride ion: -3 charge

Now, we can use the equation to calculate the electrostatic potential energy:

E = (8.987E9 * 3 * -3) / (249E-12) = -5017.72 J/mol

Converting Joules to kJ/mol and rounding to the nearest ten gives the answer of -5020 kJ/mol.

Calculate the Electrostatic Potential Energy in KJ/mol of the Ionic