Question

What types of molecules will display hydrogen bonding?

a) Nonpolar molecules
b) Polar molecules without hydrogen
c) Molecules with hydrogen attached to highly electronegative atoms
d) Ionic molecules

Answer 1

Water, methanol, and hydrogen cyanide are polar molecules that can display hydrogen bonding. Oxygen and propane are nonpolar molecules.

Step-by-step explanation:

a. Water is polar. Any molecule with lone pairs of electrons around the central atom is polar.
b. Methanol is polar. This is not a symmetric molecule. The -OH side is different from the other 3 -H sides.
c. Hydrogen cyanide is polar. The molecule is not symmetric. The nitrogen and hydrogen have different electronegativities, creating an uneven pull on the electrons.
d. Oxygen is nonpolar. The molecule is symmetric. The two oxygen atoms pull on the electrons by exactly the same amount.
e. Propane is nonpolar, because it is symmetric, with H atoms bonded to every side around the central atoms and no unshared pairs of electrons.