What is the maximum number of hydrogen bonds a single water () molecule can participate in when froz β Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question
Question
What is the maximum number of hydrogen bonds a single water ($H_2O$) molecule can participate in when frozen in the structure of ice?
Answer: 4
π‘ Solution & Explanation
In ice, each water molecule utilizes its 2 hydrogen atoms to act as H-bond donors to two neighboring oxygen atoms. Simultaneously, its oxygen atom uses its 2 lone pairs to act as an H-bond acceptor for two other neighboring hydrogen atoms, totaling 4 hydrogen bonds per molecule in a tetrahedral geometry.
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