Question

Give a reason as to why hydrogen chloride can be termed as a polar covalent compound.

Why is hydrogen chloride called a polar covalent compound?

Answer 1

\[\ce{H\bullet {×}\overset{\times\times}{\underset{××}{Cl}^{×}_{×}}-> H\bullet {×}\overset{××}{\underset{××}{Cl}^{×}_{×}}->H\bullet {×}\overset{××}{\underset{××}{Cl}^{×}_{×}}->H^{δ+} \bullet {×}\overset{××}{\underset{××}{Cl}}^×_×}^{δ-}\]

HCl is a covalent compound formed by sharing one electron between chlorine and hydrogen. Because chlorine is more electronegative than hydrogen, the shared pair of electrons shifts towards the chlorine atom. So, a partial negative charge (δ-) develops on chlorine and a partial positive charge (δ+) develops on hydrogen. Hence, the covalent bond is polar in nature.