Polarity from Shape
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Polarity from Shape
Is a molecule polar if it has a bent shape, or does it have to be different atoms around the central atom to have dipole moments that don't cancel?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Re: Polarity from Shape
As long as the polar bonds cancel it can be a nonpolar molecule. Water doesn't cancel since it has 2 polar bonds pointing towards the oxygen
Re: Polarity from Shape
Hi there! Typically a bent molecular shape is only established because of the presence of lone pairs, which creates an uneven distribution of electrons and makes the molecule polar. I think you can consider this also as the lone pairs do not have opposing dipole moments, and thus create a polar molecule. So generally, yes, a bent molecule polar, and any time you see a molecule with lone pairs (with bent shape or otherwise) it is polar. Hope that helps!
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Re: Polarity from Shape
In a bent molecule like water, the molecule is bent. So, the dipoles don’t cancel out, since the molecule is asymmetric. Hope this helps!
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Re: Polarity from Shape
So long as the bonds between atoms are polar, a bent molecule will be polar! Its shape makes it so that dipoles can cancel out.
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Re: Polarity from Shape
Hi! I believe all molecules with bent structure should be polar. Even if all three atoms are the same -- for example, O3 -- the molecule is still polar. The lone pair electrons and bonding electrons are arranged asymmetrically around the central atom, so the dipole moments do not cancel out.
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Re: Polarity from Shape
It doesn't need to be bent. You have to check whether the dipole moments cancel out on the sides of the molecule.
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Re: Polarity from Shape
MichaelMendozaD1F wrote:are ALL bent molecules polar?
Yes I believe all bent molecules are polar. The shape makes it so that dipoles can never cancel
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Re: Polarity from Shape
Bent molecules are asymmetrical, generally leading to a polar molecule. For example, since water is bent and the two H atoms are electronegative towards the O atom, it does not cancel out. This is why water is polar, and most bent molecules follow that trend.
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Re: Polarity from Shape
Brendan Duong 1I wrote:MichaelMendozaD1F wrote:are ALL bent molecules polar?
Yes I believe all bent molecules are polar. The shape makes it so that dipoles can never cancel
thank you ! I appreciate the response!
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Re: Polarity from Shape
When all the electron densities are occupied by bonded atoms for a hybridization -- sp, sp2, sp3, sp3d, sp3d2 -- then the shape is nonpolar. THe other additional two are linear for the sp3d or sp3d2 hybridizations
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