In a diagram of a water molecule (H_2O), an arrow points from the hydrogen atom to the oxygen atom. What type of attractive force does this arrow most likely represent?

• A. Hydrogen bond
• B. Ionic bond
• C. London dispersion force
• D. Polar covalent bond

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the arrow pointing from hydrogen to oxygen in a water molecule represents the direction of electron density or bond polarity.
2. Recall that in a water molecule (H\_2O), oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, so electrons in the O-H bonds are shared unequally.
3. Recognize that this unequal sharing of electrons creates a dipole moment, where the oxygen atom has a partial negative charge and the hydrogen atoms have partial positive charges.
4. Identify that the bond between hydrogen and oxygen in water is a covalent bond where electrons are shared, but because of the difference in electronegativity, it is specifically a polar covalent bond.
5. Distinguish this from other forces: hydrogen bonds are intermolecular attractions, ionic bonds involve full electron transfer, and London dispersion forces are weak intermolecular forces present in all molecules.