Why doesn't chlorine form hydrogen bonds even though it is more electronegative than nitrogen?

Chlorine has a higher electronegativity, but as it has a large atomic radius the electron density is spread out over a large area. This means that the electron density is too low to form proper hydrogen bonds, and will only be attracted via dipole-dipole attraction.

CL
Answered by Callum L. Chemistry tutor

19362 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Chlorine, 15 g, is contained in a vessel with a volume of 0.80 dm3 at 330 K. Calculate the pressure exerted when the chlorine is treated as a perfect (ideal) gas giving your answer in terms of kPa


Predict the number of peaks in a carbon-13 NMR spectrum of the following carbonyl isomers of C5H8O. (i) CH3CH2CH2CH2CHO (ii) (CH3)3CCHO (iii) CH3COCH(CH3)2


Why does reacting a bromoalkane with ammonia result in a quaternary ammonium salt and not an amine?


What is the trend in ionization energy across period 3 in the periodic table?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning