The bond in a hydrogen chloride molecule is
- A. purely ionic
- B. polar covalent, with the shared pair drawn towards chlorine
- C. non polar covalent
- D. metallic
Explanation
Chlorine is more electronegative than hydrogen, so the shared electrons sit closer to it, giving chlorine a partial negative charge and hydrogen a partial positive one. The electronegativity difference is not large enough for complete transfer, so the bond is polar rather than ionic. This polarity is why hydrogen chloride dissolves readily in water and ionises there.