Why is the boiling point of water significantly greater than that of other group 6 (16) hydrides?

Water exhibits hydrogen bonding between neighbouring molecules, where other group 6 hydrides are held together by much weaker (ca. 10 x) Van Der Waal's forces of attraction. Waters hydrogen bondong ability arises from the presence of a highly electronegative oxygen atom in it's structure. Due to oxygen's propensity to attract negative charge, the shared electron between oxygen and hydrogen in each of the two bonds in water lies closer to the nucleus of oxygen than that of hydrogen. This results in a partially negatively charged oxygen atom and two partially positively charged hydrogen atoms. The partial charges can interact wih the opposite partial charge on a neighbouring molecul, forming a so called 'hydrogen bond.'

JS

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Write an equation for the complete combustion of C9H20


Can you explain Le Chatelier's Principle?


(i) What property does Magnesium Oxide have that makes it useful to create heat-resistant bricks to line furnaces? (ii) Explain why H2S exists as a gas and H2O exists as a liquid (at r.t.p).


How do you work out an electron configuration?