The phosphate of a metal has the formula MHPO4. The formula of its chloride would be : — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: Determine the charge (valency) of the metal cation M in the given phosphate formula MHPO4. Step 2: The hydrogen phosphate ion is divalent and carries a -2 charge (HPO4^2-). For the compound MHPO4 to be electrically neutral, the metal ion M must carry a +2 charge (M^2+). Step 3: Since a chloride ion is monovalent (Cl^-), a divalent metal cation M^2+ requires exactly two chloride ions to form a neutral salt, resulting in the formula MCl2. This corresponds to option (b).