Molecules capable of forming hydrogen bonds must have a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom like nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine. For example, water (H₂O) and ammonia (NH₃) can form hydrogen bonds due to the presence of these electronegative atoms. In contrast, nonpolar molecules such as methane (CH₄) can only exhibit dispersion forces (London forces) as their intermolecular interactions since they lack polar bonds necessary for hydrogen bonding. Thus, hydrogen bonds are present in polar molecules, while dispersion forces are the sole intermolecular forces in nonpolar molecules.
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