In the molecule HCl, what type of chemical bond is formed between hydrogen and chlorine?

• A. Polar covalent bond
• B. Nonpolar covalent bond
• C. Ionic bond
• D. Metallic bond

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the types of atoms involved in the bond: hydrogen (H) is a nonmetal and chlorine (Cl) is also a nonmetal.
2. Recall that bonds between two nonmetals are generally covalent, meaning they share electrons rather than transfer them completely.
3. Determine the electronegativity difference between hydrogen and chlorine. Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract shared electrons in a bond.
4. Since chlorine is more electronegative than hydrogen, the shared electrons will be pulled closer to chlorine, creating a partial negative charge on chlorine and a partial positive charge on hydrogen.
5. This uneven sharing of electrons due to the difference in electronegativity results in a polar covalent bond between hydrogen and chlorine.