Interhalogen Interhalogen An interhalogen compound is a molecule which contains two or more different halogen atoms (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine) and no atoms of elements from any other group. Most interhalogen compounds known are binary (composed of only two distinct elements). Their formulae are generally XY, where "n" = 1, 3, 5 or 7, and X is the less electronegative of the two halogens. They are all prone to hydrolysis, and ionize to give rise to polyhalogen ions. Those formed with astatine have a very short half-life due to astatine being intensely radioactive. No interhalogen compounds containing three or
Chemistry: A Volatile History all the elements in their order: Notice carbon and silicon are in Group IV and the volatile gases fluorine, chlorine and bromine are in Group VII. Mendeleev was sufficiently confident in the layout of his table that he was willing to leave gaps for unknown elements to make the pattern fit – believing other elements would later be discovered that filled the gaps. So, for Mendeleev to be vindicated, the gaps needed to be filled, and luckily, in 1859, new instrumentation had been developed for discovering elements. Robert Bunsen knew that when certain elements burned in the flames of his