Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Bond Length
Bond length refers to the distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms. Generally, bond length increases with the size of the atoms involved; larger atoms have more electron shells, resulting in longer bonds. In the case of C—Cl and C—I, the iodine atom is larger than chlorine, leading to a longer C—I bond compared to the C—Cl bond.
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Bond Strength
Bond strength, or bond dissociation energy, is a measure of how much energy is required to break a bond between two atoms. Stronger bonds have higher bond dissociation energies. In the comparison of C—Cl and C—I, the C—Cl bond is generally stronger due to the effective overlap of orbitals between the smaller chlorine atom and carbon, compared to the larger iodine atom.
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Electronegativity
Electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a bond. It influences both bond length and strength. Chlorine is more electronegative than iodine, which contributes to the stronger C—Cl bond. The difference in electronegativity affects the bond character, with C—Cl being more polar and thus stronger than the less polar C—I bond.
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