Which description below correctly describes the hydrogen bonding between water molecules? A. The slightly negative hydrogen on one water molecule is attracted to a slightly positive hydrogen on another molecule of water. B. The slightly negative oxygen on one water molecule is attracted to a slightly positive oxygen on another molecule of water. C. The slightly positive oxygen on one water molecule is attracted to a slightly negative hydrogen on another molecule of water. D. The slightly negative oxygen on one water molecule is attracted to a slightly positive hydrogen on another molecule of water.
Chemistry · High School · Thu Feb 04 2021
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The correct description is D. The slightly negative oxygen on one water molecule is attracted to a slightly positive hydrogen on another molecule of water. This attraction is called a hydrogen bond and it occurs because water is a polar molecule. The oxygen atom is more electronegative than the hydrogen atoms, so it pulls the shared electrons in the covalent bonds towards itself more strongly, resulting in a partial negative charge on oxygen (δ-) and a partial positive charge on hydrogen (δ+). These opposite partial charges attract each other, forming the hydrogen bond between water molecules.