Which type of intermolecular force is characterized by hydrogen bonding?

Hydrogen bonding is a specific type of dipole-dipole interaction that occurs when hydrogen is covalently bonded to highly electronegative atoms like nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine. In a molecule containing hydrogen bonded to one of these electronegative atoms, the hydrogen atom bears a partial positive charge, while the electronegative atom carries a partial negative charge. This situation creates a strong attractive force between the positively charged hydrogen atom of one molecule and the negatively charged electronegative atom of another molecule.

To clarify the terminology, Van der Waals forces generally refer to weak intermolecular forces, which include both dipole-dipole interactions and London dispersion forces. However, hydrogen bonds are stronger than typical Van der Waals forces due to the significant difference in electronegativity involved.

Ionic interactions pertain to attractions between ions of opposite charges, which are distinctly different from the hydrogen bonds formed based on polar covalent bonds.

Covalent bonding refers to the sharing of electron pairs between atoms, forming molecules, rather than the attractive forces between molecules.

Therefore, the correct answer relates specifically to hydrogen bonding being a specialized type of dipole-dipole interaction, which inherently involves the strengths derived from the presence of hydrogen bonded to highly electr