The document discusses the intermolecular forces in three compounds: hydrogen fluoride, carbon tetrafluoride, and hydrogen chloride. Hydrogen bonding is the predominant force in hydrogen fluoride, while dispersion forces dominate in carbon tetrafluoride, and dipole-dipole interactions are key in hydrogen chloride. It highlights the role of electronegativity in determining the polarity of the bonds involved.

1. Hi!
For hydrogen fluoride: the predominant intermolecular force is hydrogen bonding. In hydrogen
bonding, fluorine acts as a "bridge" (the middle atom) between two hydrogen molecules. The
only other atoms that can participate in hydrogen bonding are nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. The
other intermolecular forces are present in hydrogen fluoride as well, but they are not as
significant as hydrogen bonding.
For carbon tetrafluoride: the predominant intermolecular force is dispersion (also called London
dispersion or van der waals forces) due to the fact that this is a non-polar, symmetrical molecule
and the difference in electronegativity between carbon and hydrogen is not great enough for the
bond to be considered truly polar.
For hydrogen chloride: the predominant intermolecular force is dipole-dipole. Chlorine cannot
participate in hydrogen bonding, however, the chlorine atom has a considerable difference in
electronegativity relative to hydrogen so the covalent bond is considered polar. There are also
dispersion forces present, but they are not as significant as the dipole-dipole forces here.
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Solution
Hi!
For hydrogen fluoride: the predominant intermolecular force is hydrogen bonding. In hydrogen
bonding, fluorine acts as a "bridge" (the middle atom) between two hydrogen molecules. The
only other atoms that can participate in hydrogen bonding are nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. The
other intermolecular forces are present in hydrogen fluoride as well, but they are not as
significant as hydrogen bonding.
For carbon tetrafluoride: the predominant intermolecular force is dispersion (also called London
dispersion or van der waals forces) due to the fact that this is a non-polar, symmetrical molecule
and the difference in electronegativity between carbon and hydrogen is not great enough for the
bond to be considered truly polar.
For hydrogen chloride: the predominant intermolecular force is dipole-dipole. Chlorine cannot
participate in hydrogen bonding, however, the chlorine atom has a considerable difference in
electronegativity relative to hydrogen so the covalent bond is considered polar. There are also
dispersion forces present, but they are not as significant as the dipole-dipole forces here.
I hope this helps! Please don't forget to rate : )