Why do C-C bond break earlier than C-F in the pyrolysis of c2f6?
According to me C-F bond is highly polar and so a WEAKER bond from C-C hence C-F must break early why it is not so?
According to me C-F bond is highly polar and so a WEAKER bond from C-C hence C-F must break early why it is not so?
1 Answer
C-F bond has higher bond energy than C-C bond hence is harder to break.
Explanation:
Let's compare the bond energies of these bonds at
C-F bond 488 kJ/mol
C-Cl bond 330 kJ/mol
C-Br bond 288 kJ/mol
C-C bond 348 kJ/mol
It is true that C-F bond is highly polar as fluorine is more electronegative than carbon. That would suggest a large amount of ionic character, which weakens the bond.
However, fluorine is very small, so the
This makes C-F bond extremely stable and hard to break, and explains why there is a big jump from C-Cl to C-F.
In fact in Organic Chemistry we usually say that the C-F bond is not broken in reactions.
Hope this helps!