Question

Hydrogen chloride (HCl) has a large dipole moment because:

Options

• It has a highly polar covalent bond with significant charge separation between H and Cl

• It is a non-polar molecule

• It exists as isolated atoms rather than bonded molecules

• The hydrogen and chlorine atoms are equally electronegative

Answer 1

HCl is a heteronuclear diatomic molecule with a significant difference in electronegativity between hydrogen and chlorine. Chlorine is much more electronegative, strongly pulling electron density toward itself, creating a substantial dipole moment. The high polarity of the H-Cl bond makes HCl a highly polar molecule.