Halogens -igcse

Physical properties of halogens

The colour of the Halogens changes from a lighter colour to a dark colour as we go down the group and the melting and boiling points increase as you go down the group.
Fluorine at the top of the group is a yellow gas

This changes to a yellow-green gas for chlorine, a red liquid for bromine and finally black solid for iodine at the bottom of the group.





Reactions of halogens with metals

Metal + Halogen --> Metal Halide Iron reacts slowly with iodine to form iron II iodide. Iron reacts faster with bromine to form iron III bromide.



Iron reacts with chlorine reacts even faster to form iron III chloride.



Other metals like sodium also react.sodium + chlorine ---> sodium chloride




The reaction of halogens with hydrogenHydrogen reacts with halogens to form hydrogen



halides. E.g.Hydrogen + chlorine ---> hydrogen chlorideH2(g) +Cl2(g) --> 2HCl

(g) (a hydrogen halide)



Hydrogen halides are very soluble in water.



The gas hydrogen chloride forms hydrochloric acid when it dissolves in water.

Other hydrogen halides like hydrogen bromide, HBr and hydrogen iodide, HI also dissolve to form acid solutions. An acid solution has a pH less than 7 e.g. 1. An acid turns universal indicator red.







Displacement reactionsHalogens like chlorine are very reactive and displace less reactive halogens like bromine from halides like bromides.

Potassium bromide + chlorine ---> potassium chloride + bromine

2KBr(aq) + Cl2(aq) --> 2KCl(aq) + Br2(aq)

2Br-(aq) + Cl2(aq) --> 2Cl-(aq) + Br2(aq)

Chlorine and bromine also react with potassium iodide showing that the order of reactivity is: Chlorine > bromine > iodine



Uses of halogens and halidesFluorine compounds (fluorides) are put into toothpaste and some drinking water supplies.

Fluorides join with tooth enamel and make teeth resist attack by acid which prevents tooth decay.

Chlorine is used to in swimming pools and drinking water to kill bacteria.

Iodine is used as an antiseptic because it will kill the germs on the skin without damaging it.