Arsenic Pentachloride Ionic Or Covalent

Arsenic pentachloride (AsCl5) is a covalent compound. It consists of one arsenic atom and five chlorine atoms bonded together through covalent bonds, which involve the sharing of electrons between the atoms to achieve a stable electronic configuration.

In a covalent bond, the participating atoms share electrons in order to achieve a stable octet or duet configuration in their valence shells. This sharing usually occurs between non-metal atoms, which have high electronegativity values and tend to attract electrons towards themselves. In the case of AsCl5, both arsenic and chlorine are non-metals, and they form a covalent bond by sharing electrons.

In contrast, an ionic bond involves the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, resulting in the formation of positively and negatively charged ions that attract each other due to electrostatic forces. Ionic bonding typically occurs between metals and non-metals, with the metal atom losing electrons to become a cation and the non-metal atom gaining electrons to become an anion.

Therefore, the nature of the chemical bond in arsenic pentachloride is covalent, not ionic.