---
title: "The normal boiling points of the hydrogen halides are listed in the table below.  | Compound | Molar mass (\\(\\text{g/mol}\\)) | Normal boiling point (\\(\\text{K}\\)) | |—|—|—| | \\(\\text{HF}\\) | \\(20.0\\) | \\(293\\) | | \\(\\text{HCl}\\) | \\(36.5\\) | \\(188\\) | | \\(\\text{HBr}\\) | \\(80.9\\) | \\(206\\) | | \\(\\text{HI}\\) | \\(127.9\\) | \\(238\\) |  Which of the following best explains why the boiling point of \\(\\text{HF}\\) is significantly higher than the boiling points of \\(\\text{HCl}\\), \\(\\text{HBr}\\), and \\(\\text{HI}\\)?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119628/"
date_modified: "2026-08-21T08:11:51+00:00"
---

# The normal boiling points of the hydrogen halides are listed in the table below.

| Compound | Molar mass (\(\text{g/mol}\)) | Normal boiling point (\(\text{K}\)) |
|—|—|—|
| \(\text{HF}\) | \(20.0\) | \(293\) |
| \(\text{HCl}\) | \(36.5\) | \(188\) |
| \(\text{HBr}\) | \(80.9\) | \(206\) |
| \(\text{HI}\) | \(127.9\) | \(238\) |

Which of the following best explains why the boiling point of \(\text{HF}\) is significantly higher than the boiling points of \(\text{HCl}\), \(\text{HBr}\), and \(\text{HI}\)?

The normal boiling points of the hydrogen halides are listed in the table below.

| Compound | Molar mass (\(\text{g/mol}\)) | Normal boiling point (\(\text{K}\)) |
|---|---|---|
| \(\text{HF}\) | \(20.0\) | \(293\) |
| \(\text{HCl}\) | \(36.5\) | \(188\) |
| \(\text{HBr}\) | \(80.9\) | \(206\) |
| \(\text{HI}\) | \(127.9\) | \(238\) |

Which of the following best explains why the boiling point of \(\text{HF}\) is significantly higher than the boiling points of \(\text{HCl}\), \(\text{HBr}\), and \(\text{HI}\)?

- **A.** \(\text{HF}\) has the highest boiling point because the covalent \(\text{H}-\text{F}\) bond is stronger than the covalent bonds in \(\text{HCl}\), \(\text{HBr}\), and \(\text{HI}\), requiring more energy to break during vaporization.
- **B.** \(\text{HF}\) has the highest boiling point because the \(\text{F}\) atom has the largest electron cloud among the halogens, resulting in the strongest London dispersion forces.
- **C.** \(\text{HF}\) has the highest boiling point because \(\text{HF}\) molecules form intermolecular hydrogen bonds, which are significantly stronger than the dipole-dipole and London dispersion forces between molecules of the other hydrogen halides.
- **D.** \(\text{HF}\) has the highest boiling point because pure liquid \(\text{HF}\) is an ionic substance held together by strong electrostatic lattice attractions.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119628/*