Q.Which of the following has highest hydration energy?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Smaller ions have a more concentrated charge and attract surrounding water dipoles more strongly, giving a higher (more negative) hydration energy. Among the alkaline earth chlorides listed, Mg2+ is the smallest cation, so MgCl2 has the highest hydration energy.
Hydration energy is the energy released when gaseous ions are surrounded by water molecules. It depends strongly on the ionic radius and charge: for ions of the same charge, hydration energy increases (becomes more negative/larger in magnitude) as ionic radius decreases, because a smaller ion has a higher charge density and attracts the polar water molecules more strongly.
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