Question

What are the strongest bonds in water?

Answer 1

The intramolecular polar covalent bonds in the water molecule are the strongest bonds in each water molecule.

Explanation:

In the water molecule, `"H"_2"O"`, the oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms share electrons in covalent bonds in order to achieve a filled valence shell `(8 e^(-)"for O" and "2"e^(-) "for H")`.These bonds are polar covalent, which means that there is unequal sharing of the electrons. This is because the O atom has a greater negativity than the H atoms, so the O atom shares the electrons unequally, and the shared electrons are held more closely by the O atom. This means that the O end of the water molecule is partially negative `(delta -)`, and the H atoms are partially positive `(delta+)`.

These polar covalent bonds are intramolecular (meaning within the molecule) and are the strongest bonds in water.

The diagram below illustrates the polar covalent bonds between O and H.

The diagram below illustrates the polarity of the water molecule, and the unequal sharing of electrons by O.