MCQMediumJEE 2026Electron Gain Enthalpy & Electronegativity

JEE Chemistry 2026 Question with Solution

Given below are two statements :

Statement II : The correct order in terms of bond dissociation enthalpy is Cl2>Br2>F2>I2Cl_2 > Br_2 > F_2 > I_2.

Statement IIII : The correct trend in the covalent character of the metal halides is SnCl2>SnCl4SnCl_2 > SnCl_4, PbCl2>PbCl4PbCl_2 > PbCl_4 and UF4>UF6UF_4 > UF_6.

In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below :

  • A

    Both Statement II and Statement IIII are true

  • B

    Statement II is false but Statement IIII is true

  • C

    Statement II is true but Statement IIII is false

  • D

    Both Statement II and Statement IIII are false

Answer

Correct answer:C

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: Two statements are given about bond dissociation enthalpy of halogens and covalent character of metal halides.

Find: Which option correctly identifies the truth values of Statement II and Statement IIII.

Bond dissociation enthalpy in halogens depends on bond length and lone pair-lone pair repulsion. Covalent character in metal halides is explained using Fajan's rules.

Statement I: In general, bond strength decreases down the group as atomic size increases. However, F2F_2 shows anomalously low bond enthalpy because the very small size of fluorine causes strong repulsion between lone pairs on adjacent atoms.

The experimental order is

Cl2(242.6)>Br2(192.8)>F2(158.8)>I2(151.1)kJ/molCl_2 (242.6) > Br_2 (192.8) > F_2 (158.8) > I_2 (151.1) \, \text{kJ/mol}

So Statement II is true.

Statement II: By Fajan's rules, a cation with higher charge and smaller size has greater polarizing power and forms a bond with more covalent character.

Therefore:

SnCl4>SnCl2SnCl_4 > SnCl_2 PbCl4>PbCl2PbCl_4 > PbCl_2 UF6>UF4UF_6 > UF_4

Hence the given trend is reversed, so Statement IIII is false.

Therefore, Statement II is true but Statement IIII is false. The correct option is C.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming bond dissociation enthalpy always decreases strictly upward or downward in the halogen group is incorrect because F2F_2 is anomalous. The lone pair-lone pair repulsion in fluorine weakens the FFF-F bond. Always account for this exception before writing the order.

  • Applying Fajan's rules in the wrong direction is a common error. Higher charge and smaller cation size increase polarizing power, which increases covalent character. So Sn4+Sn^{4+} makes SnCl4SnCl_4 more covalent than SnCl2SnCl_2, not the reverse.

  • Comparing only oxidation state without relating it to ionic size and polarization can lead to confusion in pairs like PbCl2/PbCl4PbCl_2/PbCl_4 and UF4/UF6UF_4/UF_6. Use the full Fajan's rules argument instead of memorizing isolated trends.

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