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Chemistry Questions and Short Answers

Why Hydrogen bonds are stronger than dipole-dipole interactions?

Dipole-dipole interactions occur in polar molecules where the difference in electronegativity between the combining atoms creates positive and negative dipoles. These opposite poles align and result in electrostatic attraction throughout the polar medium. So, naturally, the strength of the interaction would depend on Coulomb’s law - the higher the magnitude of the charges and the lesser the distance between those charges, the stronger the dipole-dipole attractive interaction.

Are ions a type of atom?

Atom, the omnipresent component that builds up all the stuff the universe is made of, has its identity tied to the tiny, sub-atomic particle- the proton(s). The proton number decides the type of atom; however, the atom’s reactivity is determined by an outer-nuclear component- the electrons.

In nuclear reactions, the proton number can change so that an atom's identity also changes. However, only the electron count changes in organic chemical reactions without affecting an atom's identity. 

How to determine the hybridization of C in CH4?

Carbon has the atomic number 6, which also equals the number of electrons. According to the rules determining electronic configuration (Aufbau, Pauli, and Hund), these electrons are arranged in the 1s, 2s, and 2p subshells of the Carbon atom to give the complete electronic configuration - 1s2 2s2 2p2. This electronic configuration of Carbon, where the electrons are in their lowest energy states and closest to the nucleus, is called the ground state electronic configuration.