Hydrochloric gas?

Question

hydrochloric , as liquid or aqueous is ionic,

but is HCl as a gas covalent or ionic? i know H can be a H- of H+. but in this case, is it a covalent or ionic substance?

Answer 1

There is no "hydrochloric gas".  There is hydrogen chloride gas and there is hydrochloric acid, which is a solution of hydrogen chloride gas dissolved in water.

Hydrogen chloride definitely contains polar covalent bonds, not ionic bonds.  It is only when HCl(g) dissolves in water and dissociates, that it forms ions.

Check out the electronegativities.  

3.16 - 2.20 = 0.96

A bond which is 50% ionic and 50% covalent has a DEN of 1.67.  Clearly, the bond is polar covelant.  If HCl is ionic then it would be a solid at room temperature like the rest of the alkali metal chlorides.

Answer 2

HCl, as a gas, is a covalent compound, though a polar molecule due to the different electronegativities of Cl and H.  Ionization occurs in aqueous solutions, where the "individuals" are Cl- and H+ respectively, each one surrounded by H2O molecules acting as isolating "cushions".

And liquid HCl?  I would say it looks much more like a gas.

And the solid?  Generally speaking, the single "individuals" are ions again.

Answer 3

since hydrogen and chlorine are both non metals they will from a covalent compound as ionic compounds are reserved of metal non metal bonding

Answer 4

I'm not positive about this, but I'm pretty sure that you can't have an ionic compound be a gas. Otherwise, the gas would disassociate immediately. So I'd say it is covalent.

Answer 5

Hey......really a good and simple question....!

As a gas too HCl is ionic only ....

Thanx........Good Luck.....!

Answer 6

Hydrogen chloride gas is an ionic compound, with hydrogen acting as the cation (donating an electron) and chlorine the anion (accepting an electron to fill the valence shell of the chlorine atom).

That's why, when HCl is dissolved in water, it immediately dissociates into hydrogen ions and chlorine ions.

If HCl were covalently bonded, it would NOT ionize when dissolved in water.