(10 pts) Shown below are the solid-state structures of BeCl2 and AlCl3. BeCl2 in the gaseous phase consists of a mixture of (ClBeCl)2 dimers and BeCl2 monomers (below), whereas AlCl3 consists of a mixture of Al2Cl6 dimers and AlCl3 monomers in the gas phase (below):
Be
Cl
Be
Cl
Be
Cl
Solid-state structure of BeCl2:
Gas-phase structures of BeCl2:
Solid-state structure of AlCl3:
Gas-phase structures of AlCl3:
Point out any similarities between the structures of the compounds of these two elements and why should such similarities exist?