Question

What is the difference between homolytic and heterolytic cleavage?

Answer 1

Hint: In order to answer this question, to know the difference between homolytic and heterolytic cleavage, we should go through the explanation of both the types of cleavage. We will also discuss the example of them.

Complete answer:
The difference between homolytic and heterolytic cleavage are as follows:-

Homolytic Cleavage	Heterolytic Cleavage
(i) In homolytic cleavage, a covalent bond breaks in such a way that each fragment gets one of the shared electrons.	(i) In heterolytic cleavage, a covalent bond breaks in such a way that one fragment gets both of the shared electrons.
(ii) In homolytic cleavage, the two electrons in the bond are divided equally between the products.	(ii) In heterolytic cleavage, one atom gets both of the shared electrons.
(iii) For eg.. the homolytic cleavage of a Br-Br bond.	(iii) For eg.. when hydrochloric acid is cleaved then both the bonded electrons are taken by chlorine and a negative ion which can be shown as $ C{l^ - } $ .

Note:
In a crystalline solid, the cells are neatly stacked. The cleavage planes are areas where the crystal structure is the weakest. It is only along these planes that a crystalline solid can be cut. Therefore, a cut from a sharp object would give two smooth parts. Amorphous solids do not show any cleavage planes.