Determining Non-Polarity

[IsabelMurillo3K]

Hi guys!
I was practicing some questions on the sapling homework, and I was wondering how to determine polarity based off of Lewis structures only. Do all the valence electrons of a central atom have to be paired to be considered a nonpolar molecule? Or do the valence electrons just have to be shared in an equal amount between the surrounding atoms? Thanks in advance!

[jessicaosuna_1F]

Hi! There has to be a difference in electronegativity to have a polar bond. Further, there has to be an overall separation of charge, so the negatively charged molecules must be on one side.

[Ethan Laureano 3H]

Hi! There has to be a difference in electronegativity to have a polar bond. Further, there has to be an overall separation of charge, so the negatively charged molecules must be on one side.

To add on to what Jessica said, if the polar bonds cancel each other (same magnitude and opposite vector direction), then it is non-polar.

[Anh Trinh 1J]

Adding on to this, nonpolar molecules are usually when there are 2 nonmentals of the same element, or when electrons are shared equally in a molecule.

[Rob Tsai 2F]

I think the dipole moments have to cancel for the a molecule to be considered nonpolar. Electrons are shared equally or unequally based the relative electronegativities of the atoms involved. If there is an inequality in charge, but another inequality of the same magnitude that cancels the other out, then the molecule can still be nonpolar.

[Lauren Sarigumba 1K]

There are various factors that determine whether a molecule is polar or non-polar. One factor that should be taken into account is the shape of the molecule since shape affects polarity. Polar bonds can also be viewed as vectors. If the vectors are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, they cancel each other out... in a similar aspect, when bonds have equal polarity and are evenly distributed in space, then the molecule as a whole is nonpolar. Polar bonds also have a difference in electronegativity between the atoms, whereas nonpolar bonds don't.