Chemistry · Chemical Bonding
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O2 gas is chemically inert at room temperature because:
- A
Atoms in the O2 molecules are held by a double bond
- B
0-0 bonds are strong
- C
The amount of metal in the anode
- D
All of the above
Atoms in an Oxygen molecule are held together by a double bond. O-O single bonds have a bond length of 1.48 angstrom, while O-O double bonds have a bond length of 1.21 angstrom. Double bonds are stronger because they hold the atoms closer together and make them difficult to break. Hence, more energy is required to break multiple bonds as compared to single bonds. This stability of the oxygen molecule makes it chemically inert at room temperature. Option A provides the correct explanation based on this concept. Options B, C, and D are incorrect as they do not address the specific reason for the inertness of O2 gas.
Atoms in an Oxygen molecule are held together by a double bond. O-O single bonds have a bond length of 1.48 angstrom, while O-O double bonds have a bond length of 1.21 angstrom. Double bonds are stronger because they hold the atoms closer together and make them difficult to break. Hence, more energy is required to break multiple bonds as compared to single bonds.
Oxygen-to-oxygen double bonds are strong and hence cannot be easily broken under ordinary conditions. It requires at least 495 kJ/mol of energy to cause an oxygen molecule to dissociate into monoatomic oxygen. As such, a large amount of energy is not readily available, so it makes the oxygen molecule stable over a wide range of temperatures.
Incorrect. This option is unrelated to the inertness of O2 gas at room temperature.
Incorrect. Only option A provides the correct explanation for why O2 gas is chemically inert at room temperature.
Tagged under Chemistry · Chemical Bonding · 2006