MolSynapsequestion bank
MolSynapse / Question bank / s-Block Elements / Halides, sulphates and nitrates
JEE Advanced levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 3 of 3sb100

Solubility of the alkali metal fluorides in water increases from LiF to CsF. The best explanation is that

  1. Athe hydration enthalpy of the cation rises faster than the lattice enthalpy from Li to Cs
  2. Bthe ionisation enthalpy of the metal decreases from Li to Cs
  3. Cfrom Li to Cs the lattice enthalpy of the fluoride falls faster than the hydration enthalpy of the cation, so becomes more favourable
  4. Dthe fluoride ion is more polarisable with large cations, which increases lattice enthalpy

Answer: C

For the very small the lattice enthalpy depends strongly on cation size and drops steeply from LiF to CsF, while the cation hydration enthalpy drops less steeply. The net result is that dissolution becomes progressively more favourable, so LiF is the least and CsF the most soluble.
Practice s-Block Elements More on Halides, sulphates and nitrates

More questions on Halides, sulphates and nitrates