Assertion (A): Lithium chloride is predominantly covalent compound.
Reason (R ): electronegativity difference between Li and CI is small.

Options

A. If both Assertion (A) and (R ) are correct and Reason (R ) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
B. If both (A) and (R ) are correct but (R ) is not the correct explanation for (A).
C. If (A) is correct but (R ) is not correct.
D. If (A) and (R ) are correct

Explanation

To analyze the given assertion and reason, let's break it down step by step.

### Step 1: Understand the Assertion
The assertion states that "Lithium chloride is predominantly a covalent compound."

- **Explanation**: Lithium chloride (LiCl) is formed from lithium (Li) and chlorine (Cl). Typically, ionic compounds are formed between metals and non-metals, but lithium is unique due to its small size and high charge density.

**Hint**: Remember that the nature of a compound (ionic or covalent) can depend on the properties of the constituent elements, especially their size and charge.

### Step 2: Analyze the Reason
The reason provided is "The electronegativity difference between Li and Cl is small."

- **Explanation**: The electronegativity of lithium is approximately 0.98, and for chlorine, it is about 3.16. The difference in electronegativity is calculated as follows:
\[ \text{Electronegativity difference} = 3.16 - 0.98 = 2.18 \]
This value indicates that the difference is actually quite large (greater than 1.7), which typically suggests ionic character rather than covalent character.

**Hint**: Electronegativity differences help determine the bond type; a larger difference often indicates ionic bonds.

### Step 3: Conclusion
Now, we need to evaluate the correctness of both the assertion and the reason.

- The assertion that lithium chloride is predominantly covalent is **correct** because of lithium's small size and high polarizing power, which allows it to form covalent bonds despite the high electronegativity difference.
- The reason that the electronegativity difference is small is **incorrect** because the calculated difference (2.18) is significant and suggests a tendency towards ionic character.

### Final Answer
- **Assertion (A)**: Correct
- **Reason (R)**: Incorrect

Therefore, the correct conclusion is that the assertion is true, but the reason is false.

### Summary
- Assertion (A) is correct: Lithium chloride is predominantly covalent.
- Reason (R) is incorrect: The electronegativity difference is not small; it is significant.