In which order are the following salts sensitive to light?
Answer Details
The sensitivity of salts to light depends on the stability of their respective silver halide compounds. The stability of these compounds is determined by the size of the halide ion. The larger the halide ion, the less stable the corresponding silver halide compound is.
In the given options, the salts are arranged in the order of increasing size of halide ions. Thus, the stability of the corresponding silver halide compounds decreases in the same order. The most stable compound is the one with the smallest halide ion, and the least stable is the one with the largest halide ion.
Therefore, the correct order of sensitivity to light for the given salts is:
AgCl > AgBr > AgI
This is because AgI has the largest halide ion, making its corresponding silver halide compound the least stable and most sensitive to light. On the other hand, AgCl has the smallest halide ion, making its corresponding silver halide compound the most stable and least sensitive to light.