Hydrogen fluoride (HF) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) are both polar diatomic molecules

CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · A Level · Chemistry · Bonding · Bonding

Problem

Hydrogen fluoride (HF) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) are both polar diatomic molecules, but the H–F bond has a higher bond dissociation energy than the H–Cl bond. Use concepts of orbital overlap and hybridization to account for this observation. (1) Identify the two orbitals that overlap to form the σ\sigma bond in HF. (2) Identify the two orbitals that overlap to form the σ\sigma bond in HCl. (3) Relate the nature of these overlapping orbitals to the observed difference in bond dissociation energies between HF and HCl.

Related theory

Browse the problem library