Explain why hydrogen bromide has a higher boiling point than hydrogen chloride.

Hydrogen bromide and hydrogen chloride are both simple molecules. They have London forces between molecules. It is essential that you highlight that these interactions (induced dipole-dipole) are BETWEEN the molecules rather than WITHIN them. Boiling point is determined by the energy required to break these intermolecular forces. Therefore, stronger intermolecular forces between molecules will lead to a higher boiling point as more energy is required.The only difference between HBr and HCl are the sizes of the halogen atom. Br is larger, meaning that it has more electrons. More electrons mean that when the electrons move randomly, a more strong dipole can be induced in the neighbouring molecules. This means there are more interactions between the larger HBr molecules than between the smaller HCl molecules.In this question, the focus is on intermolecular forces- a common mistake is to go down a rabbit hole talking about the covalent bonds within the molecule, which are not involved in boiling point determination at A-level.

PP
Answered by Pooja P. Chemistry tutor

27092 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

A chemist mixes together 0.450 mol N2 with 0.450 mol H2 in a sealed container. The mixture is heated and allowed to reach equilibrium. At equilibrium, the mixture contains 0.400 mol N2 and the total pressure is 500 kPa. Calculate Kp.


Describe the trend in the reactivity of group 2 elements with chlorine as you descend down the group.


What is a transition metal complex?


What is solvent leveling? How can we distinguish between two strongly acidic solutions? (This is a challenging question and is included for interest only)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning