Chemistry
Chemistry
Problem
The measured dipole moment of HF is . If the dipole moment that would result from complete transfer of one electron across the bond is , what is the percent ionic character of the H–F bond? a) 48\% b) 63\% c) 38\% d) 15\%Intuitive explanation
The percent ionic character tells you how much of the bond behaves like a complete electron transfer versus a pure covalent share. Since we know the ideal dipole moment for 100% ionic character (one full electron moved) and we've measured the actual dipole moment, we can find what fraction of that complete transfer has really occurred. The ratio of observed to ideal dipole moment gives you directly the fractional ionic character—just convert to a percentage.
Intuitive explanation
The percent ionic character tells you how much of the bond behaves like a complete electron transfer versus a pure covalent share. Since we know the ideal dipole moment for 100% ionic character (one full electron moved) and we've measured the actual dipole moment, we can find what fraction of that complete transfer has really occurred. The ratio of observed to ideal dipole moment gives you directly the fractional ionic character—just convert to a percentage.