A salamander relies on hydrogen bonding to stick to various surfaces. Therefore, a salamander would have the greatest difficulty clinging to a ________.
A) slightly damp surface
B) surface of hydrocarbons
C) surface of mostly carbon-oxygen bonds
D) surface of mostly carbon-nitrogen bonds

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hydrogen bonding is most effective with polar molecules that have a significant difference in electronegativity between their atoms, allowing for partial positive and negative charges that hydrogen bonds can form with. Hydrocarbons are nonpolar molecules, lacking significant electronegativity differences between carbon and hydrogen atoms, making it difficult for hydrogen bonds to form. Therefore, a salamander would have the greatest difficulty clinging to a surface of hydrocarbons due to the lack of suitable sites for hydrogen bonding.

A Salamander Relies on Hydrogen Bonding to Stick to Various