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Which bond is the most polar?

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-a
-H-F
-b
-O=0

-F-F
-d
-C=0

User Jwlaughton
by
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1 Answer

6 votes

Final answer:

The HF bond is the most polar among the given options because it has the largest electronegativity difference, indicating a definitely polar covalent bond.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking which bond among the given options is the most polar. The polarity of a covalent bond is determined by the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms involved in the bond. A bond may be categorized as nonpolar covalent, polar covalent, or ionic based on this difference. For instance, if we look at the bond in HF, hydrogen has an electronegativity of 2.20, and fluorine has an electronegativity of 3.98, which gives us a difference of 1.78, indicating that the bond is definitely polar covalent. However, when two identical atoms form a bond, as in F-F, the electronegativity difference is zero, resulting in a nonpolar covalent bond. The same applies to bonds between identical atoms, such as O=O or C=C. Lastly, in C=O, with carbon at 2.55 and oxygen at 3.44 in electronegativity, the difference is 0.89, indicating a definitely polar covalent bond.

Given that HF has the largest electronegativity difference among the options and F-F has no difference being a nonpolar bond, we can conclude that the bond in HF is the most polar compared to F-F, O=O, or C=O.

User John Kocktoasten
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