Which elements are known to participate in hydrogen bonding?

The correct answer highlights the elements that are most commonly involved in hydrogen bonding, specifically oxygen (O), bromine (Br), fluorine (F), nitrogen (N), and chlorine (Cl).

Hydrogen bonding occurs when a hydrogen atom that is covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom, such as oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine, interacts with another electronegative atom. Among the choices, oxygen, nitrogen, and fluorine are well-known for their ability to form strong hydrogen bonds due to their high electronegativity, which creates a significant dipole when they bond with hydrogen.

Bromine and chlorine, while less common in biological systems, can still participate in hydrogen bonding due to their electronegative characteristics. This makes option C the most accurate representation of elements known to participate in hydrogen bonding.

The other choices include elements that do not typically engage in hydrogen bonding in the same way. For instance, hydrogen bonding would not typically involve carbon (C) or helium (He), which lacks the necessary polar characteristics to participate effectively in such interactions.