Question

What is the chemical equation for the formation of $ HF $ from the single, isolated $ H $ and $ F $ atoms?

Answer 1

Hint:At room temperature, hydrogen fluoride is a covalently bound chemical. Because of the electronegativity disparity between hydrogen and fluoride, the bond is classified as ionic by some sources.

Complete answer:Hydrogen and fluorine occur in a diatomic gaseous form, $ {H_2} $ , under normal conditions, in addition $ {F_2} $ correspondingly.
We can see the formation of $ HF $ by forming the equation as follows:
 $ {H_2} + {F_2} \to HF $
Now, we will balance the above chemical equation.
We see that there are $ 2 $ Hydrogen and $ 2 $ Fluorine atoms in the reactants side. On the other hand, there is just $ 1 $ Hydrogen and $ 1 $ Fluorine atoms in the product side. Hence, we multiply $ 2 $ on the product side.
 $ {H_2} + {F_2} \to 2HF $
Now, the equation is balanced.
Therefore, the chemical equation for the formation of $ HF $ from the single, isolated $ H $ and $ F $ atoms is $ {H_2} + {F_2} \to 2HF $ .

Note:
Since hydrogen is non metallic, the $ H - F $ bond (electronegativity difference $ 1.78 $ ) is called polar covalent. The bond between fluorine and a metallic element with the same electronegativity as hydrogen (lead is very close) will be called ionic. $ Pb - F $ bond is ionic, while $ H - F $ bond is polar covalent.