A HCl molecule has a bond length of 1.284 Å and a dipole moment of 1.109 Debye. What is the percent ionic character of the HCl bond?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The percent ionic character can be calculated using the formula: (measured dipole moment / dipole moment if the bond were 100% ionic) * 100%. The dipole moment if the bond were 100% ionic is calculated using the charge of an electron (1.602 x 10^-19 C) and the bond length (1.284 x 10^-10 m). This gives a theoretical dipole moment of approximately 6.12 Debye. Thus, the percent ionic character is (1.109 / 6.12) * 100% ≈ 18%.

A HCl Molecule Has a Bond Length of 1