| Hydrogen chloride (HCl) is composed of one atom of hydrogen and one atom of chlorine joined together by a single covalent bond.
There are three pairs of unshared electron pairs around the chlorine atom. (These are not represented by the molecular model,
but are visible in the structural formula of HCl). The chlorine atom has 8 electrons in
its outer shell and the hydrogen atom has 2 electrons. This fulfills the Octet Rule.
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| Hydrogen chloride has a linear molecular shape.
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| The electron pair geometry around the chlorine atom is tetrahedral. (Again this is
not obvious in the molecular model!). A similar example is provided by the HBr molecule.
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| This is the structural formula for hydrogen chloride.
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| Hydrogen chloride has molecular polarity. The partial specific negative charge is on the chlorine atom and
the partial specific positive charge is on the hydrogen atom.
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