Question

Is fluorine attracted to metal?

Answer 1

Hint: Fluorine is one of the most reactive elements among the halogens. It is the most electronegative element as it can attract electrons. It has a small size so it is the lightest member of the halogen series. No other element can oxidize fluoride anion so it is present in the form of a free state in nature.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
To find out if fluorine is attracted to a metal, we have to find its ability to form bonds with metal atoms.
Fluorine is the most oxidizing element present in the periodic table. It can oxidize metals by taking their electrons and form a $ M-F $ bond. The size of a fluorine atom is small so it has the ability to pack a large number of F ions around a coordination centre. For example, in Hexafluoroalumniate $ {{(Al{{F}_{6}})}^{3-}} $ there are 6 fluorine atoms around the aluminium atom. Also, the high Oxidizing power can let the element make the oxidation number of other elements increase. Only fluorine can form a halide with silver that is $ Ag{{F}_{2}} $ .
We know that Silver is a strong metal. This proves that fluorine can attract metal atoms.

Note:
The formation of a Metal- Fluorine compound results in the loss of an electron by the metal and gain of an electron by fluorine. An ionic bond is formed between the metal and fluorine as fluorine is highly electronegative. The ionic character in a covalent bond is dependent on the electronegativity difference between the metal and halogen (here it is Fluorine).