Consider the compounds, BCl3, and CCl4. How will they’behave with water justify?

BCl3 (boron trichloride) and CCl4 (carbon tetrachloride) have different behaviors when they come into contact with water due to their molecular structures and properties.

1. BCl3 (Boron Trichloride):

   • BCl3 is a Lewis acid, meaning it can accept a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond.
   • When BCl3 reacts with water, it acts as a Lewis acid and accepts a lone pair of electrons from water molecules to form hydrochloric acid (HCl) and boric acid (H3BO3). The reaction can be represented as: BCl3+3H2O→B(OH)3+3HClBCl3+3H2O→B(OH)3+3HCl
   • The reaction is highly exothermic and produces acidic solutions due to the formation of HCl. Boric acid formed is weakly acidic and can further react with water to form boric acid solutions.
   • Thus, BCl3 hydrolyzes vigorously in water to produce acidic solutions.

2. CCl4 (Carbon Tetrachloride):

   • CCl4 is a non-polar molecule composed of carbon and four chlorine atoms arranged symmetrically around the carbon atom.
   • It lacks any polar bonds or a permanent dipole moment, making it highly insoluble in water.
   • Due to the lack of polarity, CCl4 molecules do not interact strongly with water molecules through hydrogen bonding or dipole-dipole interactions.
   • Consequently, when CCl4 is mixed with water, it forms a separate layer on top of the water due to its lower density, and they do not readily mix or react. This property makes it useful as a non-polar solvent.

In summary, BCl3 reacts vigorously with water, undergoing hydrolysis to form acidic solutions due to its Lewis acidic nature, while CCl4 remains largely unreactive and immiscible with water due to its non-polar nature.