Is hydrogen chloride a covalent compound?

Is hydrogen chloride a covalent compound?
Hydrogen can form hydride or hydrogen ion. Then why hydrogen chloride is a covalent compound? Since hydrogen is a cation and chloride is an anion.


Hydrogen chloride is composed of diatomic molecules, each consisting of a hydrogen atom H and a chlorine atom Cl connected by a **covalent single bond**.

Since the chlorine atom is much more electronegative than the hydrogen atom, the covalent bond between the two atoms is **quite polar**.

Consequently, the molecule has a **large dipole moment** with a negative partial charge δ- at the chlorine atom and a positive partial charge δ+ at the hydrogen atom.

For such large dipole moment between the two atoms, the electron cloud of the large chloride ion will be attracted near to the very small hydrogen iron. As a result, the bonding between hydrogen and chlorine is called dipolar covalent bond. OK.

The details of above explanations are taught at A-Level chemistry.

Hydrogen chloride is regarded as a molecule, the atoms of which are binded together by covalent bond, and its molecules are attracted together by hydrogen bond (much stronger van der waals forces). A covalent compound is a substance where its atoms are binded together by covalent bond only such as diamond.

Since hydrogen chloride is highly soluble in water as represented by the following equation:-

HCl(l) + H20(l) --------> H30+(aq) + Cl-(aq)

Pure hydrogen chloride is a covalent compound, which exists as molecules.

When hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water, hydrogen chloride is ionized to give hydrogen ion and chloride ion. However, the solution is known as hydrochloric acid, but not hydrogen chloride.
HCl(g) + aq → H^+(aq) + Cl^-(aq)