Here's why:
* Hydrogen (H) has one electron in its outermost shell, and it wants to gain one more to achieve a stable configuration.
* Chlorine (Cl) has seven electrons in its outermost shell, and it also wants to gain one more electron to achieve a stable configuration.
When hydrogen and chlorine come together, they share their electrons to form a covalent bond. This sharing allows both atoms to achieve a stable octet of electrons, satisfying the octet rule.
Therefore, hydrogen chloride does not exist as individual atoms but forms a stable molecule (HCl) due to the covalent bond between hydrogen and chlorine.
