Question

In a water molecule, which atom has the strongest attraction for shared electrons? hydrogen oxygen hydroxide ion both atoms attract electrons with equal strength neither atom attracts the electrons

Answer 1

The water molecule is a polarized molecule containing 2 Hydrogen and 1 Oxygen. Oxygen has a bit more attraction for electrons than Hydrogen. Oxygen is more electronegative, so it’s going to have a stronger pull on electrons.

Answer 2

The correct answer is oxygen.

Step-by-step explanation:

An atom refers to the smallest constituent of an element, which holds all the chemical characteristics of that element. Each element exhibits a familiar electronegativity, that is, a measurement of their affinity towards electrons. In the molecule of water, the element oxygen is very electronegative as it robustly fascinates electrons from other atoms. On the other hand, hydrogen has low electronegativity and therefore, attracts electrons weakly.