Question

Explain why F is the strongest oxidizing agent.

Answer 1

Hint: Fluorine is a highly reactive non-metal which belongs to the group $17$ and considered a member of the halogen family. It is a gas and has seven electrons in its outermost shell and needs only one electron to complete its electron.

Complete step by step answer:
Oxidizing agent is the substance which itself undergoes reduction by accepting a pair of electrons and oxidizing the other substance during a chemical reaction. Fluorine has atomic number $9$ and has electronic configuration-$1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^5$ .The reason for its strong oxidizing property is-
-It has no d-orbital in its valence shell so it can only take one electron from an electro-positive element which means it shows only one oxidation state - $-1$. Hence it is the most electronegative element.
-So it can easily accept an electron than any other halogen and hence it undergoes reduction and acts as a strong oxidizing agent.
-It also has a small size due to which it is nearly impossible for fluorine to donate its electron. Hence it fails to act as a reducing agent.
-Fluorine is such a strong oxidizing agent that it oxidizes water to dioxygen. The reaction is given as-
$2{\text{F}}_{\text{2}}+2{\text{H}}_2\text{O}\to \text{2HF + }{\text{O}}_2$

Note:
The uses of Fluorine are-
1.It acts as an insecticide.
2.It is used in production of Freon which is used in refrigerants.
3.It is also used in production of Teflon which is a plastic used as insulating material for electric cables.
4.It is also found in cryolite which is mixed with bauxite in order to lower its melting point and to increase electrical conductivity.