Is the bond between H and S atoms polar?

1 Answer

Yes, but just barely.

The electronegativity of H is 2.1 and the value for S is 2.5

This means the difference in electronegativity between the atoms in this covalent bond is 0.4. Some textbooks will list this as the cut-off point between being a polar and a non-polar bond. Other sources list 0.35 as the cut off value.

This means that any hydrogen bonding between molecules containing H-S bonds is quite weak. For this reason, #H_2S# will most often exist as a gas rather than a liquid.