Ashwin Muralidharan IIT Madras
Last Activity: 13 Years ago
Hi Suchita,
What you have mentioned is perfectly right.
Electron affinity of F is less than that of Cl.
The right answer is Hydration Energy (ie the energy released when gaseous ions convert to aqueous ions, when dissolved in water).
For a detailed explanation, you should visit this website:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/group7/halogensasoas.html
The reasons in Chemistry are always given to support the experimental results. So in Chemistry you need to give a logical reason for the experimental result obtained (you would have to do that much more in Engineering).
So you should look at that site, as to why Fluorine is a stronger oxidising agent than cluorine, even though what you've tried to explain is logical, there are factors that come into picture (the Hydration Enthalpy, is the greatest for F, making it a strong Oxidising agent)
For inorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, you need to commit these things to memory.
Hope that helps.
All the best.
Regards,
Ashwin (IIT Madras).