Which of these molecules has dispersion forces as its strongest intermolecular force? "Br"_2, "H"_2"S", "HCl", "CO"

1 Answer
Truong-Son N.
Sep 10, 2017

Only the molecule with no other intermolecular force would have dispersion forces as its strongest intermolecular force.

By the way, trick question here: which molecule has the highest boiling point?

And since only "Br"_2 is nonpolar, it is the only one with only dispersion forces.

  • "H"_2"S" is polar, and has dipole-dipole interactions as its dominant intermolecular force.
  • "HCl" is polar, and has dipole-dipole interactions as its dominant intermolecular force.
  • "CO" is polar, and has dipole-dipole interactions as its dominant intermolecular force.

As examples, the "C" end of "CO" is partially negative (not "O"!), and the "Cl" end of "HCl" is partially negative. Which end of "H"_2"S" is partially positive?

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