How do hydrogen bonds affect boiling point?

How do hydrogen bonds affect boiling point?

• A. H-bonds decrease the boiling point.
• B. H-bonds have no effect on boiling point.
• C. H-bonds increase the boiling point of a compound.
• D. H-bonds only affect melting point.

Answer: (C)

Strong intermolecular forces determine how much energy is needed to boil a liquid. Hydrogen bonds are particularly strong attractions that occur when hydrogen is bonded to highly electronegative atoms like oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine and can interact with lone pairs on nearby molecules. Because these bonds hold molecules together more tightly, more heat is required to separate them into a vapor. That means substances capable of hydrogen bonding have higher boiling points than similar substances that cannot form such bonds. So the effect of hydrogen bonding is to raise the boiling point of a compound.

Strong intermolecular forces determine how much energy is needed to boil a liquid. Hydrogen bonds are particularly strong attractions that occur when hydrogen is bonded to highly electronegative atoms like oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine and can interact with lone pairs on nearby molecules. Because these bonds hold molecules together more tightly, more heat is required to separate them into a vapor. That means substances capable of hydrogen bonding have higher boiling points than similar substances that cannot form such bonds. So the effect of hydrogen bonding is to raise the boiling point of a compound.