There are two main types of covalent bond breakage. In homolytic breakage (as in Table 9.2, p. 371), each atom in the bond gets one of the shared electrons. In some cases, the electronegativity of adjacent atoms affects the bond energy. In heterolytic breakage, one atom gets both electrons and the other gets none; thus, a cation and an anion form.
(a) Why is the C¬C bond in H₃C¬CF₃ (423 kJ/mol) stronger than that in H₃C¬CH₃ (376 kJ/mol)?