[INeedSerotonin]

Hello

I found this exercise that gave me four explanations to "why is the boiling point of hydrogen so low, i.e., equal to 20 K?", and I had to tell which were true and which were false

Explanations:

I) there are hydrogen bonds;
II) the Van Der Waals forces are weak in intensity;
III) the molecule is non-polar, and there are few electrons;
IV) it is easy to break the covalent bond H-H

Only (II) and (III) are true, but I wonder why (IV) is not. Could you guys please explain it to me? I also am not sure as to why (III) mentions electrons.

[Corribus]

Does boiling have anything to do with breaking covalent bonds?

[INeedSerotonin]

Does boiling have anything to do with breaking covalent bonds?

I remember learning that we need to overcome some kind of force in order to boil something,

So I guess that boiling doesn't have anything to do with breaking covalent bonds, but it is all about breaking intermolecular forces? 

[Corribus]

Yes. A phase change doesn't involve breaking covalent bonds,  only intermolecular interactions.  If covalent bonds are broken, it's a chemical reaction. If you need to explain something about a boiling point,  you have to think about factors that influence the strength of intermolecular forces.

[INeedSerotonin]

Yes. A phase change doesn't involve breaking covalent bonds,  only intermolecular interactions.  If covalent bonds are broken, it's a chemical reaction. If you need to explain something about a boiling point,  you have to think about factors that influence the strength of intermolecular forces.

Thank you!

[Enthalpy]

And H-H bonds are strong. As strong as H-Cl for instance.