HCl has ionic bonds. This type of bond is weak compared to a covalent bond. This weakness, as well as water’s polarity (at the atomic level) allows the hydrogen to disassociate from the chlorine atom. The loose hydrogen ions cluster around the oxygen of water molecules while the loose chlorine ions tend to cluster around hydrogen atoms of water molecules. While a water molecule is electrically neutral, it displays a negative charge around the oxygen atom because the two electrons from the hydrogen atom spend more time in its electron cloud than the hydrogen’s electron cloud. This, of course, means the hydrogen atoms of the water molecule present a positive charge.
Because of the loose association of the ionic atoms with water, these ions can be pushed around by electric potential which then gives an electric current.
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