Hydrogen chloride and water are simple molecular, covalent compounds - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 3
Hydrogen chloride and water are simple molecular, covalent compounds.
(a). The formula of a molecule of water is H₂O.
Describe what this formula shows about a molec... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Hydrogen chloride and water are simple molecular, covalent compounds - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe what this formula shows about a molecule of water.
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Answer
The formula H₂O indicates that a water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. This shows that hydrogen and oxygen are the elements present in water, and specifically, there are two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom.
Step 2
Describe what is meant by a covalent bond.
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Answer
A covalent bond refers to the attractive force that occurs when two atoms share pairs of electrons. In the context of water, a covalent bond forms as each hydrogen atom shares one electron with the oxygen atom, resulting in the sharing of a pair of electrons between the atoms.
Step 3
Draw a dot and cross diagram of a molecule of hydrogen chloride, HCl.
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Answer
In the dot and cross diagram for HCl, the symbol H has one dot representing its single electron, and Cl has seven crosses representing its outer shell electrons. There is one shared pair of electrons (one dot and one cross) between the hydrogen and chlorine atoms.