Question

Assertion: Among halogens fluorine is the most oxidising agent.
Reason: Fluorine is the most electronegative element.
A. Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation for the assertion.
B. Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation for the assertion.
C. Assertion is correct but reason is incorrect
D. Assertion is incorrect and reason is correct

Answer 1

Hint: We all know that the redox potential is often measured by a chemical species' propensity to either get electrons from an electrode or lose electrons to an electrode, leading to reduction or oxidation, as appropriate.

Complete Step by Step Solution:
According to the current periodic table, fluorine is a member of group seventeen. The halogen group is the usual name for this category.

Fluorine has a higher reduction potential than bromine and iodine, making it one of the most oxidising substances. Since fluorine is one of the electronegative elements and has a low bond enthalpy, it has a significant reduction potential. The reduction potential generally means that there is a greater propensity to lose an electron. It has a strong propensity to lose electrons as a result of its electronegativities.
Fluorine is hence a potent oxidising agent.

Also, the atomic orbital size is stated to shrink as we move from left to right along a period. This occurs because there are more protons in the nucleus than there are shells to contain them. As we move from left to right along a period, the nucleus tends to hold on to the electrons more tightly since the distance between the furthest electron and the nucleus does not grow.

As a result, we can conclude that electronegative character grows over a period from left to right as atoms become less likely to release their electrons.

The number of orbitals rises as we descend a group, and so does the separation between the nucleus and the furthest atom. Due to the shielding effect and the fact that the increase in protons is so high, it cannot make up for the longer distance. As a result, as we move down a group, atoms are more likely to release electrons.

As a result, we can conclude that as we move down a group, the electronegative character decreases since the atoms get bigger and are more likely to lose electrons.
Hence, Fluorine is the most electronegative element.
Both statements are true but the reason is not the correct explanation for the assertion.
Hence the correction option is B.

Note: The strong reduction potential of fluorine makes it one of the greatest oxidising agents. All other atoms receive electrons from oxygen, but when fluorine is bound to oxygen, oxygen must give up electrons, demonstrating that fluorine is the most electronegative element.