Lone pairs and dipoles

[306134737]

Hello, I've been watching a lot of videos and they keep mentioning that when you see an atom with lone pairs there will be a dipole moment. I'm having trouble understanding what the lone pairs have to do with the dipoles.

[Noreen Khatib 1H]

Hello,

Lone pairs affect how the charge is distributed in a molecule. They can either increase it if there is an uneven distribution of charge or decrease it if the molecule is symmetrical and the charge is distributed evenly.

[Vinay Panchal 1G]

Hi there! Lone pairs influence a molecule’s shape, which affects its symmetry and can lead to a dipole moment. When lone pairs cause an asymmetrical shape, like in water (H2O) for instance, the bond dipoles don’t cancel out, resulting in an overall dipole moment. Hope this makes sense! :)