Why is CBr2Cl2 polar?

[Angeline 3E]

Isnt CBr2Cl2 a tetrahedral and wouldnt the dipoles cancel out because if the Cl's are placed diagonally against each other the dipoles would cancel out same with the Br's? If they were placed diagonally, wouldnt the dipoles cancel out?

In:
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... mrc&uact=8

sorrY i dont know how to put an image

[JOtomo1F]

While the Lewis dot structure may look like its dipoles cancel out when you draw the two bromine atoms and two chlorine atoms diagonally, the shape tetrahedral is polar since it is asymmetrical. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchem.libretexts.org%2F%40api%2Fdeki%2Ffiles%2F1314%2F204methane.gif%3Frevision%3D1%26size%3Dbestfit%26width%3D378%26height%3D261&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchem.libretexts.org%2FBookshelves%2FInorganic_Chemistry%2FSupplemental_Modules_(Inorganic_Chemistry)%2FMolecular_Geometry%2FTetrahedral_Molecular_Geometry&docid=OUMd1jfcWiNIaM&tbnid=kPwQr5oQ5cr-iM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiU173srvjlAhX0JTQIHbK3Bf8QMwh3KAAwAA..i&w=550&h=381&safe=strict&bih=569&biw=1280&q=tetrahedral&ved=0ahUKEwiU173srvjlAhX0JTQIHbK3Bf8QMwh3KAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8 I'm not sure how to put pictures but hopefully that worked lol. In that image, you can see the molecules are not directly across from each other in the tetrahedral shape and therefore, their dipoles would not cancel out.

[Alfred Barrion 2H]

isn't CBrCl2 tetrahedral so its polar??

[Angeline 3E]

While the Lewis dot structure may look like its dipoles cancel out when you draw the two bromine atoms and two chlorine atoms diagonally, the shape tetrahedral is polar since it is asymmetrical. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchem.libretexts.org%2F%40api%2Fdeki%2Ffiles%2F1314%2F204methane.gif%3Frevision%3D1%26size%3Dbestfit%26width%3D378%26height%3D261&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchem.libretexts.org%2FBookshelves%2FInorganic_Chemistry%2FSupplemental_Modules_(Inorganic_Chemistry)%2FMolecular_Geometry%2FTetrahedral_Molecular_Geometry&docid=OUMd1jfcWiNIaM&tbnid=kPwQr5oQ5cr-iM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiU173srvjlAhX0JTQIHbK3Bf8QMwh3KAAwAA..i&w=550&h=381&safe=strict&bih=569&biw=1280&q=tetrahedral&ved=0ahUKEwiU173srvjlAhX0JTQIHbK3Bf8QMwh3KAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8 I'm not sure how to put pictures but hopefully that worked lol. In that image, you can see the molecules are not directly across from each other in the tetrahedral shape and therefore, their dipoles would not cancel out.

Thank you !! I literally realized this was a tetrahedral right when you posted this

[Ashley Osorio]

Can someone further explain this? I still don't understand how this is polar. No matter where the two Cl remain within the tetrahedral shape, the dipoles won't face the same way, so how can it be polar? Or is any molecule polar as long as their dipoles don't cancel????

[JOtomo1F]

Can someone further explain this? I still don't understand how this is polar. No matter where the two Cl remain within the tetrahedral shape, the dipoles won't face the same way, so how can it be polar? Or is any molecule polar as long as their dipoles don't cancel????

Yeah, if there are dipoles that don't cancel out completely then the molecule is polar.

[sarahsalama2E]

if all the atoms attached to the central are not the same, then the molecule is polar. As you can see in the tetrahedral diagram, the differing attaching atoms creates dipole moments, resulting in the atom being polar as a whole.

[Melvin Reputana 1L]

I would also like to add on that a good rule to follow is that in a tetrahedral, when all the terminal atoms are not the same, then the molecule is most likely polar. Even though, CBr2Cl2 looks like it is nonpolar, you also need to consider that terminal atoms are not exactly opposite from each other, so the pull that the atoms have will not be in the same direction due to the shape of the tetrahedral.