Question:medium

Read the following two statements
Statement I: Ionic radius of Li+ is greater than Mg++
Statement II: Lithium and magnesium can't form superoxide

Updated On: Mar 29, 2026
  • Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.
  • Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect.
  • Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.
  • Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct.
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

To determine the correctness of the given statements, we need to analyze them based on chemical principles:

  1. Statement I: Ionic radius of Li+ is greater than Mg++
    • Lithium (Li) belongs to Group 1 of the periodic table and loses one electron to form Li+ ion. Magnesium (Mg) is in Group 2 and loses two electrons to form Mg++.
    • The ionic radius generally decreases with an increase in positive charge because the same number of protons have to attract fewer electrons. Thus, a doubly charged Mg++ ion would be smaller than the singly charged Li+.
    • Since Li+ has fewer positive charges compared to Mg++, it has a larger ionic radius.
    • Hence, Statement I is correct.
  2. Statement II: Lithium and magnesium can't form superoxide
    • Superoxide formation occurs typically with larger alkali metals that have lower ionization energy and can stabilize the larger superoxide ion (O2).
    • Lithium being a small cation, forms oxide (O2−) rather than superoxide due to size mismatch and higher charge density.
    • Similarly, magnesium also forms oxides rather than superoxides because small size and high charge density make it unfavorable for superoxide stabilization.
    • Thus, Statement II is correct.

After evaluating both statements, we can conclude that:

Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.
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