JEE MAIN - Chemistry (2024 - 31st January Morning Shift - No. 4)
Give below are two statements:
Statement - I: Noble gases have very high boiling points.
Statement - II: Noble gases are monoatomic gases. They are held together by strong dispersion forces. Because of this they are liquefied at very low temperature. Hence, they have very high boiling points.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Explanation
Option A is the correct answer. Both Statement I and Statement II are false.
Noble gases actually have low boiling points, not high. This is because noble gases are indeed monoatomic gases that exist as single atoms. They have a completely filled valence shell and do not easily form chemical bonds with other atoms. As a result, the intermolecular forces present in noble gases are only temporary dipole-induced dipole attractions, also known as dispersion forces (or London forces). However, these dispersion forces are very weak compared to other types of intermolecular forces like hydrogen bonding or dipole-dipole interactions that occur in other substances.
The dispersion forces in noble gases are weak because these gases are non-polar and since they are monoatomic, the electron cloud around the atom is symmetrical, meaning that there are no permanent dipoles within the molecules. As the atomic size of noble gases increases down the group, the dispersion forces do increase in strength due to the larger electron cloud that can be more easily distorted, resulting in higher boiling points for the heavier noble gases. Still, compared to other substances, the overall strength of the dispersion forces in noble gases is low, which means they can be liquefied at low temperatures and hence their boiling points are low, not high.
Therefore, the correct statement would be: "Noble gases are monoatomic gases. They are held together by weak dispersion forces. Because of this they are liquefied at very low temperatures. Hence, they have very low boiling points."
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