Which of the following compounds will form hydrogen bonds with a solvent such as ethanol?

• A. CO_2 (carbon dioxide)
• B. CCl_4 (carbon tetrachloride)
• C. CH_4 (methane)
• D. NH_3 (ammonia)

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand what hydrogen bonding is: it is a special type of dipole-dipole interaction that occurs when a hydrogen atom is covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom such as nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), or fluorine (F), and this hydrogen interacts with a lone pair of electrons on another electronegative atom.
2. Analyze the molecular structure of each compound to determine if it contains N, O, or F atoms bonded to hydrogen, which is necessary for hydrogen bonding.
3. For CO_2 (carbon dioxide), note that it is a linear molecule with double bonds between carbon and oxygen, but no hydrogen atoms are present, so it cannot form hydrogen bonds.
4. For CCl_4 (carbon tetrachloride) and CH_4 (methane), observe that neither contains N, O, or F atoms bonded to hydrogen; CCl_4 has chlorine atoms bonded to carbon, and CH_4 has hydrogen bonded to carbon, which is not electronegative enough to create hydrogen bonding.
5. For NH_3 (ammonia), recognize that it has nitrogen bonded to hydrogen atoms, and nitrogen is electronegative with a lone pair, making NH_3 capable of forming hydrogen bonds with solvents like ethanol.