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What is the strength of a hydrogen bond in water compared with an O-H covalent bond?

User Robert Bue
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

A hydrogen bond is an intermolecular attractive force that is weaker than a covalent bond.

Step-by-step explanation:

A hydrogen bond is an intermolecular attractive force in which a hydrogen atom, that is covalently bonded to a small, highly electronegative atom, is attracted to a lone pair of electrons on an atom in a neighboring molecule. Hydrogen bonds are very strong compared to other dipole-dipole interactions, but still much weaker than a covalent bond. A typical hydrogen bond is about 5% as strong as a covalent bond.